細菌抗藥性演變的速度,遠超過人類新藥的研發。抗菌肽多樣性極高並均有其 獨特性,因此開始受到重視。每年影響上百萬人的泌尿道感染,嚴重時還會併發急 性腎病。保護尿道不受細菌的感染,人和小老鼠的尿道在細菌侵入時都會快速分泌 帶正電荷的抗菌肽LL-37,它可以辨別外來侵入以及天生細胞的不同,讓它們可以 對帶負電荷細菌細胞膜進行破壞,且其抗菌性不受細菌抗藥性的影響,為保護尿道 健康的重要內生長因數。 藉由帶負電荷的脂質組成人工細胞膜模型-Liposome,模擬LL-37 與細菌細胞膜 之間的熱交互關係;以DSC 穩定的提供熱能,使樣品由低溫的Gel-phase 經過相轉 移溫度後呈現Fluid-phase。以及利用螢光探針Laurdan 嵌入Liposome,當Liposome 構形不穩定時,便會使螢光分子接觸到進入的極性水分子,進而放射大量螢光,以 瞭解構形變化。並利用上述之Liposome 與基材製作薄膜式生物感測器,以此脂雙層 膜進行LL-37 感測,發現LL-37 與脂雙層進行混合會產生阻抗(impedance)與相位 (phase angle)之變化。藉此對照無LL-37 的空白組,作為一定性的判斷,希冀日 後能應用於即時監控是否發生泌尿道感染之工具。
It’s well known that bacteria have ability to develop antibiotic-resistance in short time after treatment. To find therapeutic agents with different mode of action than conventional antibiotics is a necessity. To meet the above requirement, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a good alternative for infective antibiotics. AMP LL-37 with positive charges belongs to an immune system that has a capacity to distinguish membrane from different lipids in human. This special property makes LL-37 destroy the negative charged bacteria membranes. Therefore the above mechanism is effective to drug resistance bacteria. Normally bacteria and LL-37 will not exist in urine, except for those patients who suffer urinary tract infection (UTI). Hopefully, a screening biosensor can be made by using the above character. DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) was used to measure interaction between LL-37 and liposome that plays a biomembrane role. The stability of the complex can be affected by adding interference salt and urea. In the meantime, the change of liposome structure can be observed by a fluorescence probe on it. Finally, the biosensor was made by immobilizing liposomes on silane coated surface. Testing was made by mixing the sample containing LL-37 on the biosensor plate. The content of LL-37 can be detected and determined by impedance and phase angle variations.