Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biophysics

Scientific research activity

The scientific and research activity is focused to several areas:

• Study of the influence of growth conditions on content of medicinal and biologically active substances in mushrooms of genus Cordyceps (Fr.) Link.
• Study of the antioxidative and antimicrobial activity of extracts from different types of mushrooms.
• Determination of the content of additives (preservatives, artificial sweeteners and dyes) in pharmaceutical products.
• Green synthesis and determination of antioxidant activity of silver and gold nanoparticles with antimicrobial and antiproliferative effects.
• Synthesis (conventional and mechanochemical) and characterization of derivatives of natural substances with anticancer potential, study of the structure – biological efficiency relationship.
• Metabolomic profiling of biological fluids (blood, urine) in diagnostics of oncological and metabolic diseases (gout, celiakia, diabetes mellitus,…).
• Preparation of coordination compounds with antiproliferative effects.
• Metabolomic profiling of biological fluids (blood, urine) by using of HPLC with the aim to detect tryptophan and tyrosine metabolites in physiological conditions and in the case of expected change in endogenous metabolite concentration in Lyme borreliosis.
• Analysis of special proteins and peptides in urine of patients in different stages of Lyme borreliosis and the diagnostic test based on DNA microarray for simultaneous detection of more arboviruses in one experiment.
• Isolation of lipopeptides produced by bacteria Bacillus and their qualitative analysis using HPLC.
• Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles.
• Study of properties of nanoporous silica-based systems as drug carriers.
• Study of antioxidative enzyme system and its changes caused by some xenobiotics (heavy metals, pesticides, pharmaceuticals).
• Changes in food properties as consequence of Maillard reactions.
• Proteolytic enzymes, some oxidoreductases and peptide growth factors at the level of the basic research as well as in diagnostic practice.
• Isolation of peptidases from maggots of housefly and common green bottle fly used in larval therapy.
• Urine metabolomics for cancer diagnostics.
• Study of the interactions of antiviral and anticancer agents and their derivatives with important biological molecules and transport systems.
• Study of the interaction of some pesticides and repellents with biomacromolecules (DNA, albumin).
• Preparation and characterization of coordination compounds of some transition metals with biologically active ligands.

Projects:

• Open scientific community for modern interdisciplinary research in medicine (OPENMED)
  Operational Programme: Integrated Infrastructure. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
• APVV-14-0218: Deciphering the ligand-receptor interactions involved in central nervous system invasion by pathogens and development of targeted therapeutic strategy against neuroinfections
• APVV-18-0259: Development of strategic therapeutics against selected vector-borne neuroinfections
• KEGA 012UVLF-4/2018: "Biophysical Methods in Medicine" – refinement of experimental lessons in the subject
• VEGA 1/0081/17: Study of the effect of beneficial microorganisms and their bioactive products on the inhibition of biofilm-forming pathogens, implementation
• VEGA 1/0242/19: Genetic and epigenetic changes in ruminants exposed to pesticides
• VEGA 1/0355/19 Influence of zinc and probiotic bacteria on intestinal helmints in poultry, 2019-2022
• VEGA 2/0044/18: High-energy milling for the synthesis of nanomaterials using bio-approach and selected environmental applications
• VEGA 1/0148/19: Complexes of platinum metals with planar aromatic nuclei as antitumor drugs
• EFSA (GP/EFSA/ENCO/2018/03)- Partnering Grants. Coordinator Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INYTA) UNIVERSITY OF GRANADA