Cell penetrating synthetic antimicrobial peptides (SAMPs) exhibiting potent and selective killing of mycobacterium by targeting its DNA

Orally-delivered insulin-peptide nanocomplexes enhance transcytosis from cellular depots and improve diabetic blood glucose control

Insulin regulates blood glucose levels, and is the mainstay for the treatment of type-1 diabetes and type-2 when other drugs provide inadequate control. Therefore, effective oral Insulin delivery would be a significant advance in drug delivery. Herein, we report the use of the modified cell penetrating peptide (CPP) platform, Glycosaminoglycan-(GAG)-binding-enhanced-transduction (GET), as an efficacious transepithelial delivery vector in vitro and to mediate oral Insulin activity in diabetic animals. Insulin can be conjugated with GET via electrostatic interaction to form nanocomplexes (Insulin GET-NCs). These NCs (size and charge; 140 nm, +27.10 mV) greatly enhanced Insulin transport in differentiated in vitro intestinal epithelium models (Caco2 assays; >22-fold increased translocation) with progressive and significant apical and basal release of up-taken Insulin. Delivery resulted in intracellular accumulation of NCs, enabling cells to act as depots for subsequent sustained release without affecting viability and barrier integrity. Importantly Insulin GET-NCs have enhanced proteolytic stability, and retained significant Insulin biological activity (exploiting Insulin-responsive reporter assays). Our study culminates in demonstrating oral delivery of Insulin GET-NCs which can control elevated blood-glucose levels in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice over several days with serial dosing. As GET promotes Insulin absorption, transcytosis and intracellular release, along with in vivo function, our simplistic complexation platform could allow effective bioavailability of other oral peptide therapeutics and help transform the treatment of diabetes.

Membrane-active and DNA binding related double-action antimycobacterial mechanism of antimicrobial peptide W3R6 and its synthetic analogs

The emergence of multidrug- or extremely drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains has made very few drugs available for current tuberculosis treatment. Antimicrobial peptides can be employed as a promising alternative strategy for TB treatment. Here, we designed and synthesized a series of peptide sequences based on the structure-activity relationships of natural sequences of antimicrobial peptides. The peptide W3R6 and its analogs were screened and found to have potent antimycobacterial activity against M. smegmatis, and no hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes. The evidence from the mechanism of action study indicated that W3R6 and its analogs can interact with the mycobacterial membrane in a lytic manner and form pores on the outer membrane of M. smegmatis. Significant colocalization of D-W3R6 with mycobacterial DNA was observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and DNA retardation assays, which suggested that the antimycobacterial mechanism of action of the peptide was associated with the unprotected genomic DNA of M. smegmatis. In general, W3R6 and its analogs act on not only the mycobacterial membrane but also the genomic DNA in the cytoplasm, which makes it difficult for mycobacteria to generate resistance due to the peptides having two targets. In addition, the peptides can effectively eliminate M. smegmatis cells from infected macrophages. Our findings indicated that the antimicrobial peptide W3R6 could be a novel lead compound to overcome the threat from drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains in the development of potent AMPs for TB therapeutic applications.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell-wall and antimicrobial peptides: a mission impossible?

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is one of the most important infectious agents worldwide and causes more than 1.5 million deaths annually. To make matters worse, the drug resistance among Mtb strains has risen substantially in the last few decades. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to find patients infected with Mtb strains that are virtually resistant to all antibiotics, which has led to the urgent search for new molecules and therapies. Over previous decades, several studies have demonstrated the efficiency of antimicrobial peptides to eliminate even multidrug-resistant bacteria, making them outstanding candidates to counterattack this growing health problem. Nevertheless, the complexity of the Mtb cell wall makes us wonder whether antimicrobial peptides can effectively kill this persistent Mycobacterium. In the present review, we explore the complexity of the Mtb cell wall and analyze the effectiveness of antimicrobial peptides to eliminate the bacilli.

Role of Antimicrobial Peptides in Treatment and Prevention of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: A Review

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading cause of death worldwide, and the world is fighting with this global health emergency from the past 25 year. The current clinical interventions for the management of TB face a number of inherent challenges which includes low patient compliance due to the long therapy regimen, and emerging antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, there is an unmet need of new anti-TB therapeutic agent with enhanced safety profile, which can reduce the duration of therapy, enhanced bioavailability and efficacy against drug resistant forms of TB. Bacteriocins or anti microbial peptides (AMPs) occurring in microbes, human beings and other life forms have been investigated as host defense peptides. Structurally AMPs are short and ionized and play crucial role in innate immunity of host. Some AMPs can kill microbial infections directly while others function indirectly by altering the host defense mechanisms. Amidst rising issue of antibiotic resistance, AMPs are being tested in clinical research as potential antibiotics and novel therapeutics to fight against infections and non-infectious diseases. Studies have also highlighted the ability of AMPs to act against the bacteria spreading tuberculosis. The present review provides information on antimicrobial peptides, highlights their biological role, classification and mode of action in treatment and prevention of tuberculosis. It further mentions the prospects and challenges of developing peptides for their therapeutic applications against mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Therapeutic Role of Antimicrobial Peptides in Diabetes Mellitus

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently become widely publicized because they have the potential to function in alternative therapies as “natural” antibiotics, with their main advantage being a broad spectrum of activity. The potential for antimicrobial peptides to treat diabetes mellitus (DM) has been reported. In diabetes mellitus type I (T1D), cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (CRAMP), cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) and mouse-β- defensin 14 (mBD14) are positively affected. Decreased levels of LL-37 and human neutrophil peptide 1-3 (HNP1-3) have been reported in diabetes mellitus type II (T2D) relative to healthy patients. Moreover, AMPs from amphibians and social wasps have antidiabetic effects. In infections occurring in patients with tuberculosis-diabetes or diabetic foot, granulysin, HNP1, HNP2, HNP3, human beta-defensin 2 (HBD2), and cathelicidins are responsible for pathogen clearance. An interesting alternative is also the use of modified M13 bacteriophages containing encapsulated AMPs genes or phagemids.

Main-chain flexibility and hydrophobicity of ionenes strongly impact their antimicrobial activity: an extended study on drug resistance strains and Mycobacterium

The spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and the resurgence of tuberculosis disease are major motivations to search for novel antimicrobial agents. Some promising candidates in this respect are cationic polymers, also known as synthetic mimics of antimicrobial peptides (SMAMPs), which act through the membrane-lytic mechanism. Development of resistance toward SMAMPs is less likely than toward currently employed antibiotics; however, further studies are needed to better understand their structure–activity relationship. The main objective of this work is to understand the cross-influence of hydrophobicity, main-chain flexibility, and the topology of ionenes (polycations containing a cationic moiety within the main-chain) on activity. To fulfill this goal, a library of ionenes was developed and compared with previously investigated molecules. The obtained compounds display promising activity against the model microorganisms and drug-resistance clinical isolates, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The killing efficiency was also investigated, and results confirm a strong effect of hydrophobicity, revealing higher activity for molecules possessing the flexible linker within the polymer main-chain.

A high significance of the main chain flexibility and an unexpected effect of hydrophobicity on the biological activity in series of ionenes was observed. The most potent among the tested polycations showed high activity toward clinical bacterial isolates.

Assessment of in vitro activities of novel modified antimicrobial peptides against clarithromycin resistant Mycobacterium abscessus

Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) is one of the most drug resistant bacteria with a high treatment failure rate. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are alternative therapeutic agents against this infection. This study was aimed to assess the in vitro activities of thirteen AMPs (S5, S52, S6, S61, S62, S63, KLK, KLK1, KLK2, Pug-1, Pug-2, Pug-3 and Pug-4) that have never been investigated against drug resistant Mab isolates. Only four novel modified AMPs (S61, S62, S63 and KLK1) provided the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 200–400 μg/ml against the Mab ATCC19977 strain. These four potential AMPs were further tested with 16 clinical isolates of clarithromycin resistant Mab. The majority of the tested strains (10/16 isolates, 62.5%) showed ~99% kill by all four AMPs within 24 hours with an MIC <50 μg/ml. Only two isolates (12.5%) with acquired clarithromycin resistance, however, exhibited values <50 μg/ml of four potential AMPs, S61, S62, S63 and KLK1 after 3-days-incubation. At the MICs level, S63 showed the lowest toxicity with 1.50% hemolysis and 100% PBMC viability whereas KLK1 showed the highest hemolysis (10.21%) and lowest PBMC viability (93.52%). S61, S62 and S63 were further tested with clarithromycin-AMP interaction assays and found that 5/10 (50%) of selected isolates exhibited a synergistic interaction with 0.02–0.41 FICI values. This present study demonstrated the potential application of novel AMPs as an adjunctive treatment with clarithromycin against drug resistant Mab infection.

Trehalose Recycling Promotes Energy-Efficient Biosynthesis of the Mycobacterial Cell Envelope

The mycomembrane layer of the mycobacterial cell envelope is a barrier to environmental, immune, and antibiotic insults. There is considerable evidence of mycomembrane plasticity during infection and in response to host-mimicking stresses.

The mycomembrane layer of the mycobacterial cell envelope is a barrier to environmental, immune, and antibiotic insults. There is considerable evidence of mycomembrane plasticity during infection and in response to host-mimicking stresses. Since mycobacteria are resource and energy limited under these conditions, it is likely that remodeling has distinct requirements from those of the well-characterized biosynthetic program that operates during unrestricted growth. Unexpectedly, we found that mycomembrane remodeling in nutrient-starved, nonreplicating mycobacteria includes synthesis in addition to turnover. Mycomembrane synthesis under these conditions occurs along the cell periphery, in contrast to the polar assembly of actively growing cells, and both liberates and relies on the nonmammalian disaccharide trehalose. In the absence of trehalose recycling, de novo trehalose synthesis fuels mycomembrane remodeling. However, mycobacteria experience ATP depletion, enhanced respiration, and redox stress, hallmarks of futile cycling and the collateral dysfunction elicited by some bactericidal antibiotics. Inefficient energy metabolism compromises the survival of trehalose recycling mutants in macrophages. Our data suggest that trehalose recycling alleviates the energetic burden of mycomembrane remodeling under stress. Cell envelope recycling pathways are emerging targets for sensitizing resource-limited bacterial pathogens to host and antibiotic pressure.

The introduction of L-phenylalanine into antimicrobial peptide protonectin enhances the selective antibacterial activity of its derivative phe-Prt against Gram-positive bacteria

Protonectin was a typical amphiphilic antimicrobial peptide with potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In the present study, when its eleventh amino acid in the sequence was substituted by phenylalanine, the analog named phe-Prt showed potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, but no antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria, indicating a significant selectivity between Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria. However, when Gram-negative bacteria were incubated with EDTA, the bacteria were susceptible to phe-Prt. Next, the binding effect of phe-Prt with LPS was determined. Our result showed that LPS could hamper the bactericidal activity of phe-Prt against Gram-positive bacteria. The result of zeta potential assay further confirmed the binding effect of phe-Prt with LPS for it could neutralize the surface charge of E. coli and LPS. Then, the effect of phe-Prt on the integrity of outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria was determined. Our results showed that phe-Prt had a much weaker disturbance to the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria than the parent peptide protonectin. In summary, the introduction of L-phenylalanine into the sequence of antimicrobial peptide protonectin made phe-Prt show significant selectivity against Gram-positive bacteria, which could partly be attributed to the delay effect of LPS for phe-Prt to access to cell membrane. Although further study is still needed to clarify the exact mechanism of selectivity, the present study provided a strategy to develop antimicrobial peptides with selectivity toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

One-Step Curable, Covalently Immobilized Coating for Clinically Relevant Surfaces That Can Kill Bacteria, Fungi, and Influenza Virus

Microbial attachment and subsequent colonization onto surfaces lead to the spread of deadly community-acquired and hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections. Cationic polymeric coatings have gained enormous attention to tackle this scenario. However, non-biodegradable cationic polymer coated surfaces suffer from accumulation of microbial debris leading to toxicity and consequent complexities. Synthetic reproducibility and sophisticated coating techniques further limit their application. In this present study, we have developed one-step curable, covalent coatings based on two organo- and water-soluble small molecules, quaternary benzophenone-based ester and quaternary benzophenone-based amide, which can cross-link on surfaces upon UV irradiation. Upon contact, the coating completely killed bacteria and fungi in vitro including drug-resistant pathogens methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans spp. The coating also showed antiviral activity against notorious influenza virus with 100% killing. The coated surfaces also killed stationary-phase cells of MRSA, which cannot be eradicated by traditional antibiotics. Upon hydrolysis, the surfaces switched to an antifouling state displaying significant reduction in bacterial adherence. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an antimicrobial coating which could kill all of bacteria, fungi, and influenza virus. Taken together, the antimicrobial coating reported herein holds great promise to be developed for further application in healthcare settings.

Metal-Peptide Complexes as Promising Antibiotics to Fight Emerging Drug Resistance: New Perspectives in Tuberculosis

In metal-peptide interactions, cations form stable complexes through bonds with coordinating groups as side chains of amino acids. These compounds, among other things, exert a wide variety of antimicrobial activities through structural changes of peptides upon metal binding and redox chemistry. They exhibit different mechanisms of action (MOA), including the modification of DNA/RNA, protein and cell wall synthesis, permeabilization and modulation of gradients of cellular membranes. Nowadays, the large increase in antibiotic resistance represents a crucial problem to limit progression at the pandemic level of the diseases that seemed nearly eradicated, such as tuberculosis (Tb). Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics due to chromosomal mutations which can lead to the onset of novel strains. Consequently, the maximum pharmaceutical effort should be focused on the development of new therapeutic agents and antimicrobial peptides can represent a valuable option as a copious source of potential bioactive compounds. The introduction of a metal center can improve chemical diversity and hence specificity and bioavailability while, in turn, the coordination to peptides of metal complexes can protect them and enhance their poor water solubility and air stability: the optimization of these parameters is strictly required for drug prioritization and to obtain potent inhibitors of Mtb infections with novel MOAs. Here, we present a panoramic review of the most recent findings in the field of metal complex-peptide conjugates and their delivery systems with the potential pharmaceutical application as novel antibiotics in Mtb infections.

Bacterial membrane permeability of antimicrobial polymethacrylates: Evidence for a complex mechanism from super-resolution fluorescence imaging

Amphiphilic polymers bearing cationic moieties are an emerging alternative to traditional antibiotics given their broad-spectrum activity and low susceptibility to the development of resistance. To date, however, much remains unclear regarding their mechanism of action. Using functional assays (ATP leakage, cell viability, DNA binding) and super-high resolution structured illumination microscopy (OMX-SR) of fluorescently tagged polymers, we present evidence for a complex mechanism, involving membrane permeation as well as cellular uptake, interaction with intracellular targets and possible complexation with bacterial DNA. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This manuscript details the first study to systematically and directly investigate the mechanism of action of antimicrobial polymers, using super-resolution fluorescence imaging as well as functional assays. While many in the field cite membrane permeation as the sole mechanism underlying the activity of such polymers, we present evidence for multimodal actions including high cellular uptake and interaction with intracellular targets. It is also the first report to show competitive binding of antimicrobial polymers with bacterial DNA in a dose-dependent manner.

Polydopamine-on-liposomes: stable nanoformulations, uniform coatings and superior antifouling performance

Polydopamine (PDA), a mussel-inspired synthetic polymer, affords biocompatible and antifouling coatings on a variety of surfaces. However, the traditional protocol of preparing PDA by polymerizing dopamine (DA) under basic conditions yields physically-unstable and non-uniform coatings that are prone to delamination and exhibit compromised antifouling performance in vivo. Here, we show that the high local pH in the vicinity of vesicular self-assemblies formed by a series of acetal-based cationic amphiphiles can be exploited to conveniently polymerise DA under physiological conditions in a gradual manner without requiring any external oxidant. Two of the four PDA-liposome nanoformulations viz. PDA-L1 and PDA-L2 turned out to be highly stable physically and resisted precipitation for more than a month while the other two formulations (PDA-L3 and PDA-L4) were less stable and formed visible precipitates with time. Further, the PDA-liposome formulations had significantly improved haemocompatibility compared to that of pristine liposomes. PDA-L1 formed highly uniform, nanostructured coatings on implants like catheter, cotton and bandages that did not delaminate even after a week of continuous incubation in simulated body fluid, or on exposure to pH change and presence of proteolytic enzymes. The PDA-L1 coated catheter implants resisted biofouling by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in vitro and also had superior in vivo performance in mice vis-à-vis the implants coated with traditional base-polymerised PDA formulation (BP-PDA). Thus, these novel liposomal PDA nanoformulations significantly improve the practical utility of PDA-based coatings for antimicrobial applications.

Amino Acid Conjugated Polymers: Antibacterial Agents Effective against Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii with No Detectable Resistance

An optimum hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance has been recognized as a crucial parameter in designing cationic polymers that mimic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). To date, this balance was achieved either by hydrophilicity variation through altering the nature and the number of cationic charges or by hydrophobicity modulation through incorporation of alkyl groups of different chain lengths. However, how the hydrophobicity variation through AMPs' building blocks-amino acids-influences the antibacterial efficacy of AMP-mimicking cationic polymers has rarely been explored. Toward this goal, herein we report a class of amino acid conjugated polymers (ACPs) with tunable antibacterial activity through a simple post-polymer-functionalization strategy. Our polymeric design comprised a permanent cationic charge in every repeating unit, whereby the hydrophobicity was tuned through incorporation of different amino acids. Our results revealed that the amino acid alteration has a strong influence on antibacterial efficacy. Upon increasing the amino acid side-chain hydrophobicity, both the antibacterial activity (against broad spectrum of bacteria) and toxicity increased. However, the distinct feature of this class of polymers was their good activity against Acinetobacter baumannii-the top most critical pathogen according to WHO, which has created an alarming situation worldwide, causing the majority of infections in humans. A nontoxic (no hemolysis even at 1000 μg/mL) ACP including a glycine residue (ACP-1 (Gly)) showed very good activity (MIC = 8-16 μg/mL) against both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of A. baumannii, including clinical isolates. This polymer not only was rapidly bactericidal against growing planktonic A. baumannii but also killed nondividing stationary-phase cells instantaneously (<2 min). Moreover, it eradicated the established biofilm formed by drug-resistant A. baumannii clinical isolates. No propensity for bacterial resistance development against this polymer was seen even after 14 continuous passages. Taken together, the results highlight that hydrophobicity modulation through incorporation of amino acids in cationic polymers will provide a significant opportunity in designing new ACPs with potent antibacterial activity and minimum toxicity toward mammalian cells. More importantly, the excellent anti-A. baumannii efficacy of the optimized lead polymer indicates its immense potential for being developed as therapeutic agent.

Host defense peptide mimicking poly-β-peptides with fast, potent and broad spectrum antibacterial activities

Microbial infections have always been serious challenges to human health considering that antibiotics almost inevitably induce microbial resistance. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a new antibacterial agent that is active against drug-resistant bacteria and is less susceptible to microbial resistance. In this work, a series of host defense peptide (HDP) mimicking antibacterial poly-β-peptides were synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their biological activities. The best poly-β-peptide within this study (20 : 80 Bu : DM) displays potent and broad spectrum antibacterial activity against antibiotic-resistant super bugs and low toxicity toward mammalian cells. Moreover, these poly-β-peptides are bactericidal and kill bacteria very fast within 5 min. An antimicrobial resistance test demonstrated that bacteria develop no resistance toward the selected poly-β-peptides even over 1000 generations. Our studies demonstrate that random copolymers of heterochiral poly-β-peptides, without the need for defined secondary structures, can mimic the antimicrobial HDP. These results imply the potential application of these poly-β-peptides as new antimicrobial agents to tackle drug resistant antimicrobial infections.

Emerging biomedical applications of polyaspartic acid-derived biodegradable polyelectrolytes and polyelectrolyte complexes

A summary of positive biomedical attributes of biodegradable polyelectrolytes (PELs) prepared from aspartic acid is provided. The utility of these PELs in emerging applications such as biomineralization modulators, antimycobacterials, biocompatible cell encapsulants and tissue adhesives is highlighted.

1988-2018: Thirty years of drug smuggling at the nano scale. Challenges and opportunities of cell-penetrating peptides in biomedical research

In 1988, two unrelated papers reported the discovery of peptide vectors with innate cell translocation properties, setting the ground for a new area of research that over the years has grown into considerable therapeutic potential. The vectors, named cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), constitute a now large and diversified family, sharing the extraordinary ability to diffuse unaltered across cell membranes while ferrying diverse associated cargos. Such properties have made CPPs ideal tools for delivery of nucleic acids, proteins and other therapeutic/diagnostic molecules to cells and tissues via covalent conjugation or complexation. This year 2018 marks the 30^th anniversary of a peptide research landmark opening new perspectives in drug delivery. Given its vastness, exhaustive coverage of the main features and accomplishments in the CPP field is virtually impossible. Hence this manuscript, after saluting the above 30^th jubilee, focuses by necessity on the most recent contributions, providing a comprehensive list of recognized CPPs and their latest-reported applications over the last two years. In addition, it thoroughly reviews three areas of peptide vector research of particular interest to us, namely (i) efficient transport of low-bioavailability drugs into the brain; (ii) CPP-delivered disruptors of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCRs) heteromers related to several disorders, and (iii) CPP-mediated delivery of useful but poorly internalized drugs into parasites.

The Road from Host-Defense Peptides to a New Generation of Antimicrobial Drugs

Host-defense peptides, also called antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), whose protective action has been used by animals for millions of years, fulfill many requirements of the pharmaceutical industry, such as: (1) broad spectrum of activity; (2) unlike classic antibiotics, they induce very little resistance; (3) they act synergically with conventional antibiotics; (4) they neutralize endotoxins and are active in animal models. However, it is considered that many natural peptides are not suitable for drug development due to stability and biodisponibility problems, or high production costs. This review describes the efforts to overcome these problems and develop new antimicrobial drugs from these peptides or inspired by them. The discovery process of natural AMPs is discussed, as well as the development of synthetic analogs with improved pharmacological properties. The production of these compounds at acceptable costs, using different chemical and biotechnological methods, is also commented. Once these challenges are overcome, a new generation of versatile, potent and long-lasting antimicrobial drugs is expected.

Host Antimicrobial Peptides: The Promise of New Treatment Strategies against Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a devastating infectious disease and remerges as a global health emergency due to an alarming rise of antimicrobial resistance to its treatment. Despite of the serious effort that has been applied to develop effective antitubercular chemotherapies, the potential of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) remains underexploited. A large amount of literature is now accessible on the AMP mechanisms of action against a diversity of pathogens; nevertheless, research on their activity on mycobacteria is still scarce. In particular, there is an urgent need to integrate all available interdisciplinary strategies to eradicate extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. In this context, we should not underestimate our endogenous antimicrobial proteins and peptides as ancient players of the human host defense system. We are confident that novel antibiotics based on human AMPs displaying a rapid and multifaceted mechanism, with reduced toxicity, should significantly contribute to reverse the tide of antimycobacterial drug resistance. In this review, we have provided an up to date perspective of the current research on AMPs to be applied in the fight against TB. A better understanding on the mechanisms of action of human endogenous peptides should ensure the basis for the best guided design of novel antitubercular chemotherapeutics.

Antimicrobial peptides as an alternative to anti-tuberculosis drugs

Tuberculosis (TB) presently accounts for high global mortality and morbidity rates, despite the introduction four decades ago of the affordable and efficient four-drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol). Thus, a strong need exists for new drugs with special structures and uncommon modes of action to effectively overcome M. tuberculosis. Within this scope, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are small, cationic and amphipathic peptides that comprise a section of the innate immune system, are currently the leading potential agents for the treatment of TB. Many studies have recently illustrated the capability of anti-mycobacterial peptides to disrupt the normal mycobacterial cell wall function through various modes, thereby interacting with the intracellular targets, as well as encompassing nucleic acids, enzymes and organelles. This review presents a wide array of antimicrobial activities, alongside the associated properties of the AMPs that could be utilized as potential agents in therapeutic tactics for TB treatment.

Membrane-active macromolecules kill antibiotic-tolerant bacteria and potentiate antibiotics towards Gram-negative bacteria

Chronic bacterial biofilms place a massive burden on healthcare due to the presence of antibiotic-tolerant dormant bacteria. Some of the conventional antibiotics such as erythromycin, vancomycin, linezolid, rifampicin etc. are inherently ineffective against Gram-negative bacteria, particularly in their biofilms. Here, we report membrane-active macromolecules that kill slow dividing stationary-phase and antibiotic tolerant cells of Gram-negative bacteria. More importantly, these molecules potentiate antibiotics (erythromycin and rifampicin) to biofilms of Gram-negative bacteria. These molecules eliminate planktonic bacteria that are liberated after dispersion of biofilms (dispersed cells). The membrane-active mechanism of these molecules forms the key for potentiating the established antibiotics. Further, we demonstrate that the combination of macromolecules and antibiotics significantly reduces bacterial burden in mouse burn and surgical wound infection models caused by Acinetobacter baumannii and Carbapenemase producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC) clinical isolate respectively. Colistin, a well-known antibiotic targeting the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Gram-negative bacteria fails to kill antibiotic tolerant cells and dispersed cells (from biofilms) and bacteria develop resistance to it. On the contrary, these macromolecules prevent or delay the development of bacterial resistance to known antibiotics. Our findings emphasize the potential of targeting the bacterial membrane in antibiotic potentiation for disruption of biofilms and suggest a promising strategy towards developing therapies for topical treatment of Gram-negative infections.

Cell Permeating Nano-Complexes of Amphiphilic Polyelectrolytes Enhance Solubility, Stability, and Anti-Cancer Efficacy of Curcumin

Many hydrophobic drugs encounter severe bioavailability issues owing to their low aqueous solubility and limited cellular uptake. We have designed a series of amphiphilic polyaspartamide polyelectrolytes (PEs) that solubilize such hydrophobic drugs in aqueous medium and enhance their cellular uptake. These PEs were synthesized through controlled (∼20 mol %) derivatization of polysuccinimide (PSI) precursor polymer with hydrophobic amines (of varying alkyl chain lengths, viz. hexyl, octyl, dodecyl, and oleyl), while the remaining succinimide residues of PSI were opened using a protonable and hydrophilic amine, 2-(2-amino-ethyl amino) ethanol (AE). Curcumin (Cur) was employed as a representative hydrophobic drug to explore the drug-delivery potential of the resulting PEs. Unprecedented enhancement in the aqueous solubility of Cur was achieved by employing these PEs through a rather simple protocol. In the case of PEs containing oleyl/dodecyl residues, up to >65000× increment in the solubility of Cur in aqueous medium could be achieved without requiring any organic solvent at all. The resulting suspensions were physically and chemically stable for at least 2 weeks. Stable nanosized polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) with average hydrodynamic diameters (DH) of 150-170 nm (without Cur) and 220-270 nm (after Cur loading) were obtained by using submolar sodium polyaspartate (SPA) counter polyelectrolyte. The zeta potential of these PECs ranged from +36 to +43 mV. The PEC-formation significantly improved the cytocompatibility of the PEs while affording reconstitutable nanoformulations having up to 40 wt % drug-loading. The Cur-loaded PECs were readily internalized by mammalian cells (HEK-293T, MDA-MB-231, and U2OS), majorly through clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Cellular uptake of Cur was directly correlated with the length of the alkyl chain present in the PECs. Further, the PECs significantly improved nuclear transport of Cur in cancer cells, resulting in their death by apoptosis. Noncancerous cells were completely unaffected under this treatment.

Interaction between antimicrobial peptides and mycobacteria

Mycobacteria can cause different severe health problems, including tuberculosis (TB). The treatment of TB with conventional antibiotics is successful, however, the number of multi-drug and extensively-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains increases. Moreover, many classical antimycobacterial antibiotics have severe side effects. Therefore, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) seem to be good candidates for new therapeutic strategies. On the one hand AMPs can be used as a single drug or in combination with conventional antibiotics to directly kill mycobacteria, or on the other hand to act as immunstimulatory agents. This review summarizes the findings on the role of endogenous human AMPs being involved in TB, the antimycobacterial activity of various AMPs, and the molecular modes of action. Most active AMPs interact with the mycobacterial cell envelope and in particular with the mycomembrane and the plasma membrane. The mycomembrane is a very rigid membrane probably leading to a lower activity of the AMPs against mycobacteria as compared to other Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria. For some AMPs also other targets have been identified. Because of the complex environment of intracellular mycobacteria being trapped in the phagosome, within the macrophage, within the granuloma, within the lung, the external administration of AMPs in the latent phase of TB is a challenge. However, in the acute phase the AMPs can attack mycobacteria in a direct way. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antimicrobial peptides edited by Karl Lohner and Kai Hilpert.

Bioactive clusters promoting cell penetration and nucleic acid complexation for drug and gene delivery applications: from designed to self-assembled and responsive systems

Recent developments in the (self-)assembly of cationic clusters promoting nucleic acids complexation and cell penetration open the door to applications in drug and gene delivery.

Cyclization and unsaturation rather than isomerisation of side chains govern the selective antibacterial activity of cationic-amphiphilic polymers

The influence of cyclization and unsaturation on the hydrophobic side chains of cationic-amphiphilic polymers towards antibacterial activity and mammalian cell toxicity is reported.