Kaylee Cormier

Microplastics are a growing issue in the environment. As plastic use increases, plastic pollution continues to proliferate into the natural world. Plastic substrates never fully degrade but do breakdown into smaller fragments over time. The increase in fragments leads to more surface area for bacterial colonization. This research aims to compare the biofilm quantity and composition of natural versus plastic substrates submerged in Contraband Bayou located in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  Samples were submerged and collected once a month for six consecutive months at one location along Contraband Bayou. Biofilm growth and bacterial culture analysis, using selective media, was conducted for each sample. Results showed that, collectively, the plastic substrates had a larger average percent increase in biofilm growth compared to natural substrates. Natural substrates had a higher overall colony count, but plastic substrates displayed more species variability between colonies. These results suggest that plastic substrates can grow biofilms at a comparable rate to natural substrates and may be less selective in the type of bacteria colonizing their surface. 

Hailey Davis, Haley Barnett

Hydrogels have become an attractive area of research due to their biocompatibility, tissue-like properties, hydrophilicity, and antimicrobial properties, making them valuable in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery applications. Achieving biocompatibility is crucial in many applications, so that after treatment the foreign material degrades without harming the host tissue. Hydrogels are of particular interest in drug delivery systems as the polymer composition, molecular weight of the polymer(s), and crosslinking method offer controllable drug delivery systems. These factors change swelling rates and diffusion rates of drugs. Natural, synthetic, and hybrid hydrogels each possess distinct advantages and limitations, influencing their suitability for different applications. Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide with antimicrobial properties, has garnered attention for its biocompatibility and potential to enhance drug absorption and mucosal adhesion. Chitosan is prone to degrading in hydrated environments, so hybrid gels with synthetic polymers, such as PEGDMA, help stabilize the polymer system over longer periods of time. Here we aim to develop and characterize a hybrid chitosan-based hydrogel that is suitable for drug delivery systems through crosslinking with a PEG based polymer. Our goal is for the hybrid hydrogel to improve drug release and therefore bioavailability of the pharmaceutical.

Jeanne Dugas, Kate Horton, Morgan Bourgeois, Kristin Jackson, Jamie Newman

Obesity is a disease that affects over 40% of American adults. This disease is characterized by a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher and caused by an increase in adipose tissue. Adipose tissue is formed when stem cells transform into adipocytes. Mesenchymal stem cells, including human adipose-derived stem cells, are multipotent stem cells with the ability to differentiate into adipocytes, osteocytes, or chondrocytes. There are many factors that can affect this transformation, including the peptide growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). The main role of GHRH is to trigger the release of growth hormone (GH) but it has also been found to play an important role in adipocyte metabolism.

We expect that if the differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells into adipocytes is influenced by levels of GHRH, then the inhibition of GHRH will lead to a decrease in overall adipose tissue. To examine this, the expression of GHRH as well as the effects of GHRH inhibition on hASC self-renewal and adipogenesis will be monitored. After GHRH expression is examined, a GHRH antagonist, JV-1-36, will be administered to the cultured hASCs through the cell’s media, and the impact on self-renewal and adipogenic differentiation will be monitored. We expect that this administration of the GHRH inhibitor will cause a reduction in adipocyte differentiation and growth, illustrating how this hormone can affect adipocyte metabolism and possibly lower the total amount of adipose tissue.

Mathew Massey

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are found in all kingdoms of life and play roles in immune defense, predation, and competition. They are considered promising antibiotics and represent important solutions to the emerging crisis of antibiotic resistance. Colistin belongs to a group of CAMPs known as polymyxin, one of the active ingredients of a commonly used antibiotic ointment known as Neosporin. Colistin is one of the most effective last resort antibiotics against many Gram-negative bacterial infections. However, some Gram-negative bacterial species belonging to the genus Burkholderia are extremely resistant to colistin. Previously, we have reported that the presence of the physiological amount of an alkalinizing household product, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in the growth media drastically reduced the extreme colistin resistance of B. thailandensis. However, the molecular mechanism of how exactly bicarbonate display this synergistic effect with colistin is unclear. We propose that maintaining cytoplasmic pH homeostasis by bacterial cells is required for extreme colistin resistance. Sodium bicarbonate could disrupt this homeostasis and reduce colistin resistance. How does disruption in cytoplasmic pH homeostasis reduce colistin resistance remains to be investigated. Whether bicarbonate also reduces resistance to other commonly used antibiotics in B. thailandensis has not been determined yet. Our study will give us some answers to these critical questions.

Ross Nakada, Prakash Meppaloor Gopalakrishnan Nair

Antibacterial drug resistance and the formation of bacterial biofilms pose significant challenges to global health by compromising the efficacy of antibiotics against common infections. The field of nanotechnology has witnessed rapid advancements in the development of nano delivery systems, employing nanomaterials as carriers for therapeutic agents. Various synthesis methods, including chemical, physical, and biological approaches, can be explored for the development of nano-sized drug delivery systems. Notably, biological methods, distinguished for their reduced use of harmful chemicals and minimal toxic by-products, are preferred in nanomaterial synthesis. Plant-based methods emerge as eco-friendly, and cost-effective approaches for synthesizing metal nanoparticles due to the abundant availability of plant materials. Plant metabolites, being non-toxic, facilitate the reduction of metal ions to metallic nanoparticles and are conducive to surface functionalization due to their small size and stability. This study underscores the plant-mediated biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles using Catharanthus roseus plant extracts, followed by their functionalization with the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin. The antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of these biogenic gold nanoparticles, either alone or functionalized with Ciprofloxacin, were evaluated against Acinetobacter baumannii. 

Landon Ossman

Today, approximately two-thirds of the United States population is obese or overweight. Obesity is intricately linked to a myriad of diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and respiratory disorders. The multifaceted impact of obesity on health underscores the need for comprehensive strategies to address and mitigate its associated comorbidities. Sugar is one of many established contributors to the progression of adipogenesis; therefore, we aim to find relative data on sugar concentration and subsequent effects on gene regulation and expression throughout adipogenesis in human adipose derived stem/stromal cells. With each treatment we will assess changes in self-renewal and adipogenesis by monitoring the expression of ki-67, pparγ, glut5, adipoq, notch1, and notch3 in both self-renewing cells and those undergoing adipogenic differentiation. With this work we aim to contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that sugar and sugar substitutes utilize to initiate and enhance adipogenesis in hASCs.

Kwabena Darko Addy, Haley Barnett, Heath Barnett, Hailey Davis

Hydrogels, characterized by their high water content and biocompatibility, represent a promising avenue for drug delivery due to their capacity to encapsulate and release therapeutic agents with precision. This study addresses the limitations of conventional drug delivery methods, which often suffer from issues such as poor drug stability, inadequate control over release kinetics, and low bioavailability. The objectives of this study encompassed the development of a predictive modelling system for hydrogel microparticle mass transport properties and the validation of the modelling system using PEG-based hybrid hydrogels and a machine learning approach. The goal is to develop this modeling system which will enable us to accurately describe the loading efficiency and diffusion rates of hydrogel-based drug delivery systems by inputting basic, known material properties. Herein, we report the impact of different compounds, particularly PEGDMA (MW: 1K) and PEGDMA (MW: 2OK), on hydrogel swelling behavior and predictive modeling outcomes. The model predicted a baseline swelling ratio of approximately 24.92% , with individual compound effects influencing deviations from this baseline. While a positive correlation was observed in the scatter plot comparing predicted and actual swelling ratios, indicating a decent level of accuracy, areas for potential model refinement were identified based on a mean absolute error (MAE) of 5.52.

Tobechukwu Aghadinuno, Joy T. Folahan, Ekhtear Hossain, Tobechukwu M. Aghadinuno, Francis-Afred Attah, Olufunke E. Olorundare, Jean C. Chamcheu

Keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) and Melanoma (MSC) are prevalent and aggressive skin cancers in the US. Treatment regimens often cause adverse effects/relapse, resulting in low patient compliance. Current study explores Garcinia Kola seeds-derived Kolaviron, with known antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic properties. Powdered Garcinia Kola nuts was defatted with petroleum ether, followed by methanol extraction yielding Kolaviron which was further fractionated to F3. The anticancer effects of F3 on MSC and KC cell lines was assessed by MTT, clonogenic and western blot assays, and the most susceptible cancer lines were further investigated for the involvement of autophagy. F3 significantly decreased cell proliferation and viability. The IC50 values were significantly higher in Normal keratinocytes compared to cancer cell lines. Furthermore, colony formation capacity was severely decreased in treated cells compared to control. The observed decrease was > 90% in F3-treated cells. Western blot analysis showed cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, evident by depletion of cyclin D1, E2, CDK 4 and 2. Moreover, analysis of autophagy markers revealed conversion of LC3B-I to LC3B-II, p62 degradation and induction of Atg-5. These findings indicate that F3 possesses potent anticancer activity associated with the induction of autophagy. This suggests the potential for further exploration and development as a promising agent for the management and control of both MSC and KC. 

Anthony Agu, Atchimnaidu Siriki, Siva Murru, Ali Gholamian Moghaddam

Colorectal cancer (CRC), which comprises colon and/or rectum cancer, represents a significant health problem as the world’s third most diagnosed and second most fatal cancer. Due to its high incidence and mortality rate worldwide, the global burden of CRC is expected to increase by 60% with more than 2.2 million new cases and 1.1 million deaths by 2030. Even though the treatment outcomes for people with early-onset CRC have been improving, there is no effective treatment for advanced CRC patients and the overall five-year survival rate is only 12%. Most colorectal cancer drugs are kinase inhibitors, but they often face resistance, leading to reduced effectiveness and relapses. Hence, there is a pressing demand for the development of novel anticancer medications with curative potential, heightened selectivity, and lower toxicity.

Consequently, we have synthesized and examined novel pyrazole-based combretastatin derivatives as potential antiproliferative agents against colorectal cancer cell lines. In addition, we have tested these compounds against non-cancerous cell lines (CCD-18Co) to identify the most potent and selective compounds and studied their ability to induce apoptosis and inhibit colony formation and migration of CRC cancer cells. Moreover, our recent kinase profiling study confirms that the most potent analog doesn’t inhibit any cancer-related kinases. We are currently testing our most potent compounds for their microtubule polymerization inhibition activity.

Shila Kandel, Karan Chandra Thota, Niya Lewis, Bryan T. Rogers, Jean Christopher Chamcheau, Raphyel Rosby, Ekhtear Hossain

One of the world’s pressing issues is infectious diseases brought on by the increasing number of multi-drug resistant bacteria that have emerged as a result of repeated and inappropriate use of antibiotics. The diversity of plants and plant chemistry form a rich potential source of novel antibacterial medicines that will be necessary to treat these infections. This study aimed to determine the nature of anti-microbial activity found in leaf extracts. Crude extracts of the Lorapetalum Chinense leaf were subjected to over twenty phytochemical analyses. Qualitative tests indicated the presence of common phytocompounds, including carbohydrates, reducing sugars, glycosides, proteins, amino acids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, and others. The size of inhibition zones in disc diffusion assays was used to evaluate the ability of the extract to control Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Zones of inhibition caused by plant extract (62.5 μg/disc to 500 μg/disc) indicated that Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Escherichia coli were sensitive to the L. Chinense extract. While this study supports the hypothesis that L. Chinense will be an important source of anti-microbial agents, further studies are needed to identify and isolate the active phytoconstituents so they can be screened individually and subjected to in vivo efficacy testing and toxicological studies.

Niya Lewis, Brianna Travis, Bryan T. Rogers, Raphyel Rosby, Ekhtear Hossain

Angiogenesis, the production of new blood vessels from existing vasculature, plays an essential role in various physiological and pathological conditions, including embryonic development, wound healing, and the progression of diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Our preliminary study indicated that Loropetalum chinense leaf extract contains various bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, phenols, tannins, and others that could prevent angiogenesis. In this study, we evaluated the angio-suppressive effect of the leaf extract derived from L. chinense on the developing chick embryo using chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Morphological distortion of blood vasculature and vessel diameter was observed and quantified using the “Digital Surf Mountains” software. Based on comparisons of vessel density, branching patterns, and overall morphology in the developing vasculature between L. chinense leaf extract-treated embryos and untreated controls, we found sufficient evidence to support the anti-angiogenic effects of L. chinense leaf extract. This finding holds promise for developing novel therapeutic interventions targeting angiogenesis-related disorders. Our experimental CAM model provides valuable information for the initial screening of anti-angiogenic effects of the leaf extract derived from L. chinense, and it is essential to validate these findings in more complex models and humans.

Prince Addo Anim, Atchimnaidu Siriki, Siva Murru

Lung cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, particularly non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) which accounts for 85 – 90% of all lung cancers with survival rate less than 15% among both men and women. Due to the poor prognosis of traditional first-line chemotherapy regimens (e.g. platinum-based regimens such as pemetrexed plus cisplatin) coupled with late diagnosis of NSCLC, the median survival outcome among lung cancer patients is relatively low necessitating the synthesis of new drug regimens.

We have recently reported pyrazole based anticancer agents for NSCLC. Based on the initial anticancer activity data, we have recently designed and synthesized a new library of pyrazole derivatives via SNAr and intramolecular C-H bond formation reactions. To ascertain the potency and selectivity of our compound library of synthesized pyrazolones, we conducted MTT assays for anti-proliferative activity against A549 cells and for cytotoxicity against non-cancerous HLF cell lines. To test the effect of our potent compound on cancer cells migration and colony formation, we have performed scratch/wound healing and colony formation assays. As part of our mechanistic studies, we are investigating the effect of our drug on autophagy/apoptosis. Moreover, RNA sequencing analysis of drug treated and non-treated A549 and HLF cell lines provided some useful data on differential gene expression and cancer related pathways that are affected by drug treatment.