Active learning assignment: Legos and coins to understand glucose metabolism

This article describes an assignment used in an undergraduate Advanced Exercise Physiology course for seniors. Due to the heterogeneity and several transfer students, students' backgrounds in chemistry varied from adequate to non-existent. This presented several challenges for teaching and also for students' understanding of the different metabolic pathways. This article presents an assignment for an active-learning team-based approach in the classroom and the adapted version for virtual learning. Students in active, team-based learning were asked to create a short video of glucose oxidation using Lego bricks, coins, or other toys to represent the glucose molecule, the by-products, and the enzymes involved each pathway. During virtual learning, the assignment was modified to create a video independently in both synchronous and asynchronous course sections. Based on students' responses to an instructor-developed survey on their perceptions of the assignment, 71.4% reported that the assignment was helpful to understand glucose metabolism.

Discovery and Development of Inhibitors of the Plasmodial FNT-Type Lactate Transporter as Novel Antimalarials

Plasmodium spp. malaria parasites in the blood stage draw energy from anaerobic glycolysis when multiplying in erythrocytes. They tap the ample glucose supply of the infected host using the erythrocyte glucose transporter 1, GLUT1, and a hexose transporter, HT, of the parasite’s plasma membrane. Per glucose molecule, two lactate anions and two protons are generated as waste that need to be released rapidly from the parasite to prevent blockage of the energy metabolism and acidification of the cytoplasm. Recently, the missing Plasmodium lactate/H+ cotransporter was identified as a member of the exclusively microbial formate–nitrite transporter family, FNT. Screening of an antimalarial compound selection with unknown targets led to the discovery of specific and potent FNT-inhibitors, i.e., pentafluoro-3-hydroxy-pent-2-en-1-ones. Here, we summarize the discovery and further development of this novel class of antimalarials, their modes of binding and action, circumvention of a putative resistance mutation of the FNT target protein, and suitability for in vivo studies using animal malaria models.

Effects of Non-Essential Protein On D-Glucose to Control Diabetes: DFT Approach

Diabetes is a disease found in every 1 out of 4 people in the world. The glucose molecule is one of the sources of energy in the body and the lack of the digestion of glucose causes diabetes type 1 and type 2. Arginine and Cysteine is a nonessential amino acid that contains sulfur and help to maintain the metabolisms of humans. We explored the Glucose-Arginine (Glc-arg) and Glucose-Cysteine (Glc-cys) molecules by finding their structural properties, electronic properties, chemical reactivity, mechanical strength and transport properties because these non-essential amino acids molecules inhibit glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Density functional theory (DFT) have been implemented to study all the properties of Glc-arg and Glc-cys using SIESTA software. Glucose-Arginine (Glc-arg) inhibits a large percentage of glucose secretion and shows high chemical reactivity.

A Systemic Review of Clinical Trial of 2 -deoxyglucose in Treating Covid-19

After sudden outbreak of covid-19 pandemic, to overcome this chaotic situation many drug therapies have been used which includes Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine (Antimalarial), Lopinavir and Ritonavir (antiviral), Nafamostat (Sirin protease inhibitor), Famotidine (Antihistamines), Nitazoxanide (Anti-infective), Evermectin (Anti-parasitic), Corticosteroids, Tocilizumab & Sarilumab (Inflammatory cytokine), Fluvoxamine(Anti-depressants), but due to prominent effect of 2-DG it has been extensively used against SARS-CoV-2. It is a glucose molecule which was approved for the emergency treatment in covid-19 pandemic against SARS-CoV-2 by inhibiting glycolysis-The energetic cycle. It shows more highlighting effect with combinational approach. This drug was sanctioned by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) and has been developed by Institute of medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), together with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), Hyderabad.

Extraction and Estimation of Protein from Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and its Interaction with Glucose Molecule

Aim: To evaluate the protein composition in the ginger rhizome and its interaction with glucose molecule. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, Sokoto State University, Sokoto, Nigeria, between April 2021 and May 2021. Methodology: Protein was extracted from the rhizome of ginger using 0.1 M phosphate buffer. The protein concentration of the sample was estimated using Biuret method while using xanthoproteic test, the presence of aromatic amino acids was ascertained. The crude protein sample was interacted with glucose using UV interaction study. Results: The protein concentration of the sample (2 g) was found to be 1.702 mg/ml, it was identified that ginger rhizome contains aromatic amino acids. UV interaction study between the crude protein sample and glucose molecule showed an increase in absorbance at the range of 280 nm. Conclusion: The interaction of ginger with glucose shows that it possesses a hypoglycemic effect.

Bacterial-induced pH shifts link individual cell physiology to macroscale collective behavior

Bacteria have evolved a diverse array of signaling pathways that enable them to quickly respond to environmental changes. Understanding how these pathways reflect environmental conditions and produce an orchestrated response is an ongoing challenge. Herein, we present a role for collective modifications of environmental pH carried out by microbial colonies living on a surface. We show that by collectively adjusting the local pH value, Paenibacillus spp., specifically, regulate their swarming motility. Moreover, we show that such pH-dependent regulation can converge with the carbon repression pathway to down-regulate flagellin expression and inhibit swarming in the presence of glucose. Interestingly, our results demonstrate that the observed glucose-dependent swarming repression is not mediated by the glucose molecule per se, as commonly thought to occur in carbon repression pathways, but rather is governed by a decrease in pH due to glucose metabolism. In fact, modification of the environmental pH by neighboring bacterial species could override this glucose-dependent repression and induce swarming of Paenibacillus spp. away from a glucose-rich area. Our results suggest that bacteria can use local pH modulations to reflect nutrient availability and link individual bacterial physiology to macroscale collective behavior.

Purification and Biochemical Characterization of Sucrose synthase from the Stem of Nettle (Urtica dioica L.)

Sucrose synthase is a key enzyme in sucrose metabolism as it saves an important part of sucrose energy in the uridine-5′-diphosphate glucose (UDP-glucose) molecule. As such it is also involved in the synthesis of fundamental molecules such as callose and cellulose, the latter being present in all cell walls of plant cells and therefore also in the gelatinous cell walls of sclerenchyma cells such as bast fibers. Given the importance of these cells in plants of economic interest such as hemp, flax and nettle, in this work we have studied the occurrence of Sucrose synthase in nettle stems by analyzing its distribution between the cytosol, membranes and cell wall. We have therefore developed a purification protocol that can allow the analysis of various characteristics of the enzyme. In nettle, Sucrose synthase is encoded by different genes and each form of the enzyme could be subjected to different post-translational modifications. Therefore, by two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis, we have also traced the phosphorylation profile of Sucrose synthase isoforms in the various cell compartments. This information paves the way for further investigation of Sucrose synthase in plants such as nettle, which is both economically important, but also difficult to study.

Modeling of a micro-biological sensor field effect for the enzymatic detection of glucose

During these last years, the substantially biological field effect transistors (BioFET) are one of the most abundant classes of electronic sensors for biomolecular detection. The determination of glucose levels using these biosensors, especially in the medical diagnosis and food industries, is gaining popularity. Among them, ion-sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) is considered one of the most intriguing approaches in electrical biosensitivity technology. The glucose sensor ISFET detects the glucose molecule by catalyzing glucose to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of oxygen. In this paper, first of all we examine some of the main advantages in this field, the perspective of applications and the main issues in order to stimulate a broader interest in the development of biosensors based on ISFET and to extend their applications for a reliable and sensitive glucose analysis. Thereafter, a biosensor with field effect sensitive to the ions for the detection of glucose is modeled analytically. In the proposed model, the glucose concentration is presented according to the gate voltage. The simulated data show that the analytical model can be used with an electrochemical glucose sensor to predict mechanism’s behavior of detection in the biosensors.

Sugammadex for Reversal of Neuromuscular Blockade: Uses and Limitations

Sugammadex is a reversal agent that was engineered to reverse the effects of aminosteroid muscle relaxants. It is a modified gamma-cyclodextrin, i.e. a large glucose molecule bound in a ring-like structure. Sugammadex, when injected intravenously, creates a concentration gradient favoring the movement of aminosteroid muscle relaxants from the neuromuscular junction back into the plasma, and then encapsulates the aminosteroid muscle relaxants within its inner structure by forming tight water-soluble complexes. The dissociation of the aminosteroidal muscle relaxant from the post-synaptic acetylcholine receptors is responsible for the termination of neuromuscular blockade. This review article presents the current indication, mechanism of action, limitations, side effects and contraindications of sugammadex. An overview of monitoring of the adequacy of reversal of aminosteroid muscle relaxants with sugammadex is presented. Moreover, the use of sugammadex in special situations, including “cannot intubate cannot oxygenate” scenarios is also described.