Inorganic Reactive Sulfur Species and Biofilms

俄克拉荷马大学化学和生物化学系的Michael Ashby得到了无机、生物无机和有机金属化学计划的支持，旨在探索从次硫氰酸盐(OSCN-)开始的一系列活性硫物种的化学和生物学，OSCN-是一种与外分泌液相关的人类非免疫防御因子。通过无机化学家和微生物学家的合作，这一跨学科项目的核心将检验次硫氰酸盐本身太短暂而不能解释持久的抗微生物活性的假设。次硫氰酸盐作为抗菌剂的作用尚未确定，因为它只是生理条件下形成的一系列活性硫物种中的第一个。鉴定和量化次硫氰酸盐体系中存在的物种，并开发在细菌模型中确定其抗菌性能的方法是该项目的主要主题。这项研究的跨学科性质将确保学生能够接触到化学和微生物学原理。

Michael Ashby, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program to explore the chemistry and biology of a cascade of reactive sulfur species that begins with hypothiocyanite (OSCN-), a human non-immunological defense factor that is associated with exocrine fluids. Through collaborations between inorganic chemists and microbiologists, the centerpiece of this interdisciplinary project will test the hypothesis that hypothiocyanite itself is too short-lived to account for persistent antimicrobial activity. The role of hypothiocyanite as an antimicrobial has not been decisively established because it is only the first in a cascade of reactive sulfur species that form under physiological conditions. Identification and quantification of the species present in the hypothiocyanite system and the development of methods to establish their antimicrobial properties in bacterial models are major themes of this project. The interdisciplinarity of this undertaking will assure that students will have exposure to both chemistry and microbiology principles.