Page 38 - CIBERES-2015-eng

Research Groups
Group 1
Programme: Host-Pathogen Interactions / Acute Lung Injury Lead Researcher: Casals Carro, Cristina
Group members
STAFF MEMBERS: Cañadas Benito, Olga | García-Fojeda García-Valdecasas, María Belén.
ASSOCIATED MEMBERS: Coya Raboso, Juan Manuel | Egido Martín, Virginia | Monsalve Hernando, Carmen |
Muñoz Minutti, Carlos Arturo | Sáenz Martínez, Alejandra.
Main lines of research
The respiratory epithelium has evolved to produce a complicated network of extracellular membranes, called lung surfactant, that are essential for breath- ing and, ultimately, survival. Lung surfactant not only protects the lung against alveolar collapse during the breathing cycle but is involved in host defense. The manner in which surfactant components might participate in successful elimination of microorgan- isms without triggering excessive inflammatory re- sponse in the alveolus is still poorly understood. How biophysical surfactant properties and host defense mechanisms can be interdependent is also unknown.
The focus of our group is to understand how sur- factant lipids and proteins exert their action. We study:
1. The molecular mechanisms by which surfactant components control unnecessary tissue inflamma- tion, using cell culture models of inflammation and infection (CRP on Host-Pathogen Interactions).
2. The potential molecular interactions between surfactant protein A (SP-A) and antimicrobial pep- tides present in the alveolar fluid (SP-BN , LL37, and beta-defensins) that might facilitate (or block) antimicrobial actions (CRP on Host-Pathogen In- teractions).
3.Surfactant membranes’ mechanisms of resist- ance to inactivation by factors which increase in the alveolar fluid during infection and inflamma- tion (CRP on Host-Pathogen Interactions).
4. Molecular interactions between alveolar protein SP-A and nanoparticles (CRP on New Therapies to Treat Respiratory Diseases).
5. The high-stretch ventilation impact in the alveolar space and in particular on the composition, struc- ture, and functional activity of lung surfactant (CRP on Acute Lung Injury).
6. Benefits of intratracheal treatment of natural and
38 I Annual report 2015 I CIBERES