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Maji S, Akhtar S, Halder S, Chatterjee I, Verma DP, Verma NK, Saroj J, Saxena D, Maitra R, Sharma J, Sharma B, Sakurai H, Mitra K, Chopra S, Ghosh JK, Panda G. Corannulene Amino Acid-Derived Water-Soluble Amphiphilic Buckybowls as Broad-Spectrum Membrane Targeting Antibacterial Agents. J Med Chem 2024; 67:15041-15060. [PMID: 39213648 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
To date, the use of corannulene has been restricted in the area of material science, but its application in biomedical research has yet to be established due to its nonsolubility in an aqueous environment and synthetic infeasibility. Herein, we detail the development of a new family of highly curved π-conjugated corannulene-containing unnatural α-amino acid (CAA) derivatives to overcome this challenge. These CAAs have been extended as novel constituents for the synthesis of corannulene-containing water-soluble cationic peptides (CCPs), which display inhibitory activity against broad-spectrum pathogenic bacteria along with drug-resistant bacteria via a membrane-damaging mechanism. Importantly, several of the synthesized peptides were found to be appreciably nonhemolytic against hRBCs and noncytotoxic against mammalian 3T3 cells. In vivo efficacy studies of the potent and least cytotoxic peptide 6a demonstrated clearance of bacteria from the spleen, liver, lung, and blood of mice infected with S. aureus ATCC 25923.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saroj Maji
- Medicinal & Process Chemistry Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sariyah Akhtar
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sabyasachi Halder
- Medicinal & Process Chemistry Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Indranil Chatterjee
- Medicinal & Process Chemistry Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Devesh Pratap Verma
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Neeraj Kumar Verma
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
- School of Studies in Biotechnology, Shaheed Mahendra Karma Vishwavidyalaya, Dharampura, Jagdalpur 494001, Chhattisgarh, India
| | - Jyotshana Saroj
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Deepanshi Saxena
- Division of Microbiology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Janakipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Rahul Maitra
- Division of Microbiology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Janakipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Juhi Sharma
- Electron Microscopy Unit, SAIF &R Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Bhawana Sharma
- Medicinal & Process Chemistry Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Hidehiro Sakurai
- Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kalyan Mitra
- Electron Microscopy Unit, SAIF &R Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sidharth Chopra
- Division of Microbiology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Janakipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Jimut Kanti Ghosh
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Gautam Panda
- Medicinal & Process Chemistry Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Lucknow 226031, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India
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2
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Cherene MB, Taveira GB, Almeida-Silva F, da Silva MS, Cavaco MC, da Silva-Ferreira AT, Perales JEA, de Oliveira Carvalho A, Venâncio TM, da Motta OV, Rodrigues R, Castanho MARB, Gomes VM. Structural and Biochemical Characterization of Three Antimicrobial Peptides from Capsicum annuum L. var. annuum Leaves for Anti-Candida Use. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins 2024; 16:1270-1287. [PMID: 37365421 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-023-10112-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of resistant microorganisms has reduced the effectiveness of currently available antimicrobials, necessitating the development of new strategies. Plant antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising candidates for novel drug development. In this study, we aimed to isolate, characterize, and evaluate the antimicrobial activities of AMPs isolated from Capsicum annuum. The antifungal potential was tested against Candida species. Three AMPs from C. annuum leaves were isolated and characterized: a protease inhibitor, a defensin-like protein, and a lipid transporter protein, respectively named CaCPin-II, CaCDef-like, and CaCLTP2. All three peptides had a molecular mass between 3.5 and 6.5 kDa and caused morphological and physiological changes in four different species of the genus Candida, such as pseudohyphae formation, cell swelling and agglutination, growth inhibition, reduced cell viability, oxidative stress, membrane permeabilization, and metacaspase activation. Except for CaCPin-II, the peptides showed low or no hemolytic activity at the concentrations used in the yeast assays. CaCPin-II inhibited α-amylase activity. Together, these results suggest that these peptides have the potential as antimicrobial agents against species of the genus Candida and can serve as scaffolds for the development of synthetic peptides for this purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Bellei Cherene
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Bonan Taveira
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Fabricio Almeida-Silva
- Laboratório de Química e Função de Proteínas e Peptídeos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Marciele Souza da Silva
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Marco Calvinho Cavaco
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | | | - André de Oliveira Carvalho
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Thiago Motta Venâncio
- Laboratório de Química e Função de Proteínas e Peptídeos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Olney Vieira da Motta
- Laboratório de Sanidade Animal, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Rosana Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Melhoramento e Genética Vegetal, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | | | - Valdirene Moreira Gomes
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil.
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3
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Hejníková M, Tomčala A, Černý J, Kodrík D. Melittin-The principal toxin of honeybee venom-Is also produced in the honeybee fat body. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2024; 281:109928. [PMID: 38649084 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2024.109928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Melittin is a powerful toxin present in honeybee venom that is active in a wide range of animals, from insects to humans. Melittin exerts numerous biological, toxicological, and pharmacological effects, the most important of which is destruction of the cell membrane. The phospholipase activity of melittin and its ability to activate phospholipases in the venom contribute to these actions. Using analytical methods, we discovered that the honeybee Apis mellifera produces melittin not only in the venom gland but also in its fat body cells, which remain resistant to this toxin's effects. We suggest that melittin acts as an anti-bacterial agent, since its gene expression is significantly upregulated when honeybees are infected with Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes bacteria; additionally, melittin effectively kills these bacteria in the disc diffusion test. We hypothesize that the chemical and physicochemical properties of the melittin molecule (hydrophilicity, lipophilicity, and capacity to form tetramers) in combination with reactive conditions (melittin concentration, salt concentration, pH, and temperature) are responsible for the targeted destruction of bacterial cells and apparent tolerance towards own tissue cells. Considering that melittin is an important current and, importantly, potential broad-spectrum medication, a thorough understanding of the observed phenomena may significantly increase its use in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markéta Hejníková
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, CAS, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Tomčala
- University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Water, CENAKVA, Institute of Aquaculture and Protection of Waters, Na Sádkách 1780, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Černý
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, CAS, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Dalibor Kodrík
- Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, CAS, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; University of South Bohemia, Faculty of Science, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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4
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Silva MSD, Taveira GB, Silva Gebara RD, Azevedo Dos Santos LD, Cherene MB, Souza TAM, Moreira FF, Rodrigues PS, Motta OV, Seabra SH, Oliveira Carvalho AD, Rodrigues R, Gomes VM. Understanding the mechanism of action of protease inhibitors in controlling the growth of the Candida Genus: potential candidates for development of new antifungal molecules. Arch Microbiol 2024; 206:257. [PMID: 38734773 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-03993-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
There is a growing imperative for research into alternative compounds for the treatment of the fungal infections. Thus, many studies have focused on the analysis of antifungal proteins and peptides from different plant sources. Among these molecules are protease inhibitors (PIs). Previously, PIs present in the peptide-rich fractions called PEF1, PEF2 and PEF3 were identified from Capsicum chinense seeds, which have strong activity against phytopathogenic fungi. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mechanism of action and antimicrobial activity of PIs from PEF2 and PEF3 on the growth of yeasts of the genus Candida. In this work, analyses of their antimicrobial activity and cell viability were carried out. Subsequently, the mechanism of action by which the PIs cause the death of the yeasts was evaluated. Cytotoxicity was assessed in vitro by erythrocytes lysis and in vivo in Galleria mellonella larvae. PEF2 and PEF3 caused 100% of the growth inhibition of C. tropicalis and C. buinensis. For C. albicans inhibition was approximately 60% for both fractions. The PEF2 and PEF3 caused a reduction in mitochondrial functionality of 54% and 46% for C. albicans, 26% and 30% for C. tropicalis, and 71% and 68% for C. buinensis, respectively. These fractions induced morphological alterations, led to membrane permeabilization, elevated ROS levels, and resulted in necrotic cell death in C. tropicalis, whilst demonstrating low toxicity toward host cells. From the results obtained here, we intend to contribute to the understanding of the action of PIs in the control of fungal diseases of medical importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marciele Souza da Silva
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Bonan Taveira
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo da Silva Gebara
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Layrana de Azevedo Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Milena Bellei Cherene
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Thaynã Amanda Melo Souza
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Felipe Figueirôa Moreira
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Pedro Souto Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Olney Vieira Motta
- Laboratório de Sanidade Animal, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Sergio Henrique Seabra
- Laboratório de Biologia Celular e Tecidual, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - André de Oliveira Carvalho
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
| | - Rosana Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Melhoramento e Genética Vegetal, Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Agropecuárias, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Valdirene Moreira Gomes
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil.
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5
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Ahmed MBM, El-ssayad MF, Yousef SY, Salem SH. Bee venom: A potential natural alternative to conventional preservatives for prolonging the shelf-life of soft cheese 'Talaga'. Heliyon 2024; 10:e28968. [PMID: 38601605 PMCID: PMC11004823 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The study aims to explore bee venom (honey-BV) as a potential natural preservative for "Tallaga" soft cheese. Characterization of the active compounds in honey-BV was conducted via chromatographic analyses. Antimicrobial efficacy against pathogenic bacteria and fungi was evaluated, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined. Subsequently, honey-BV was applied to Tallaga cheese at 15 mg/g concentrations. The main active ingredients identified in bee venom were apamin (2%) and melittin (48.7%). Both concentrations of bee venom (100 and 200 mg/mL) exhibited significant antifungal and antibacterial properties against tested organisms, with MIC values varied from 0.2 to 0.5 mg/mL for bacteria to 3-13 mg/mL for fungi. Application of honey-BV in Tallaga cheese resulted in complete elimination of Staphylococcal populations after 2 weeks of cold storage, with no detectable growth of molds or yeasts throughout the storage period. Additionally, a steady decrease in aerobic plate count was observed over time. In summary, honey-BV holds promise as a natural preservative for soft cheese, however, more investigation is required to optimize the concentration for economic viability, taking into account health benefits and safety considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Bedair M. Ahmed
- Department of Food Toxicology and Contaminants, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., P.O. Box: 12622, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Fathy El-ssayad
- Dairy Sciences Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., P.O. Box: 12622, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | - Salah H. Salem
- Department of Food Toxicology and Contaminants, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., P.O. Box: 12622, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
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Fernández-Rubio C, Rubio-Hernández M, Alcolea V, Burguete-Mikeo A, Nguewa PA, Pérez-Silanes S. Promising aryl selenoate derivatives as antileishmanial agents and their effects on gene expression. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024; 68:e0155923. [PMID: 38497616 PMCID: PMC10994822 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01559-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis remains one of the main public health problems worldwide, with special incidence in the poorest populations. Selenium and its derivatives can be potent therapeutic options against protozoan parasites. In this work, 17 aryl selenoates were synthesized and screened against three species of Leishmania (Leishmania major, Leishmania amazonensis, and Leishmania infantum). Initial screening in promastigotes showed L. infantum species was more sensitive to selenoderivatives than the others. The lead Se-(2-selenocyanatoethyl) thiophene-2-carboselenoate (16) showed a half-maximal effective concentration of 3.07 µM and a selectivity index > 32.57 against L. infantum promastigotes. It was also the most effective of all 17 compounds, decreasing the infection ratio by 90% in L. infantum-infected macrophages with amastigotes at 10 µM. This aryl selenoate did not produce a hemolytic effect on human red blood cells at the studied doses (10-100 µM). Furthermore, the gene expression of infected murine macrophages related to cell death, the cell cycle, and the selenoprotein synthesis pathway in amastigotes was altered, while no changes were observed in their murine homologs, supporting the specificity of Compound 16 against the parasite. Therefore, this work reveals the possible benefits of selenoate derivatives for the treatment of leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia Fernández-Rubio
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Navarra, Spain
| | - Mercedes Rubio-Hernández
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Verónica Alcolea
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Aroia Burguete-Mikeo
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Navarra, Spain
| | - Paul A. Nguewa
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Navarra, Spain
| | - Silvia Pérez-Silanes
- ISTUN Institute of Tropical Health, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de Navarra, IdiSNA (Navarra Institute for Health Research), Pamplona, Spain
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7
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Rad PM, Rahbarnia L, Safary A, ShadiDizaji A, Maani Z. The Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptide Derived From Melittin Displays Low Toxicity and Anti-infectious Properties. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins 2024; 16:490-500. [PMID: 36988897 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-023-10066-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
The low stability and nonspecific toxicity are the main limiting factors for the clinical applications of melittin (MLT). This study aimed to design and synthesize new analogs of MLT to increase stability, reduce toxicity, and retain their antimicrobial properties against bacterial pathogens. At first, peptide analogs were designed computationally by inducing single mutations in MLT peptides and evaluating their physicochemical properties. The stability of the analogs with the highest scores was determined by Gromacs software. In vitro assays were performed to examine the antimicrobial activity and toxicity of the selected analogs. Two peptide analogs, M1 and M2, were selected based on the SVM score in cell PPD. The M1 analog was created by replacing alanine with leucine on the 15th. The M2 analog was designed by substituting alanine with leucine and isoleucine with arginine at the 15th and 17th positions. According to the Gromacs results, the M2 peptide indicated more stability. RMSD and RMSF results showed no undesirable fluctuations during the 200 ns MD simulation. The MIC and MBC values for the M1 peptide were calculated in a range of 8-128 μg/ml, while the M2 peptide limited the bacterial growth to 32-128 μg/mL. Both peptides indicated less toxicity than natural MLT, based on MTT assay results. The hemolytic activity of the M1 analog was more than M2 at 16 μg/mL concentration. M1 peptide displayed the highest selectivity index against S. aureus and A. baumannii, which were approximately 5.27-fold improvements compared to MLT. In conclusion, we introduced two analogs of MLT with low toxicity, low hemolytic activity, and higher stability, along with retaining antimicrobial properties against gram-negative and positive bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parisa Mansouri Rad
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Leila Rahbarnia
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Azam Safary
- Connective Tissue Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | - Zahra Maani
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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8
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Tandon A, Harioudh MK, Verma NK, Saroj J, Gupta A, Pant G, Tripathi JK, Kumar A, Kumari T, Tripathi AK, Mitra K, Ghosh JK. Characterization of a Myeloid Differentiation Factor 2-Derived Peptide that Facilitates THP-1 Macrophage-Mediated Phagocytosis of Gram-Negative Bacteria. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:845-857. [PMID: 38363869 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2), the TLR4 coreceptor, has been shown to possess opsonic activity and has been implicated in phagocytosis and intracellular killing of Gram-negative bacteria. However, any MD2 protein segment involved in phagocytosis of Gram-negative bacteria is not yet known. A short synthetic MD2 segment, MD54 (amino acid regions 54 to 69), was shown to interact with a Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane component, LPS, earlier. Furthermore, the MD54 peptide induced aggregation of LPS and facilitated its internalization in THP-1 cells. Currently, it has been investigated if MD2-derived MD54 possesses any opsonic property and role in phagocytosis of Gram-negative bacteria. Remarkably, we observed that MD54 facilitated agglutination of Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC BAA-427), but not of Gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). The MD54-opsonized Gram-negative bacteria internalized within PMA-treated THP-1 cells and were killed over a longer incubation period. However, both internalization and intracellular killing of the MD54-opsonized Gram-negative bacteria within THP-1 phagocytes were appreciably inhibited in the presence of a phagocytosis inhibitor, cytochalasin D. Furthermore, MD54 facilitated the clearance of Gram-negative bacteria E. coli (ATCC 25922) and P. aeruginosa (ATCC BAA-427) from the infected BALB/c mice whereas an MD54 analog, MMD54, was inactive. Overall, for the first time, the results revealed that a short MD2-derived peptide can specifically agglutinate Gram-negative bacteria, act as an opsonin for these bacteria, and facilitate their phagocytosis by THP-1 phagocytes. The results suggest that the MD54 segment could have a crucial role in MD2-mediated host-pathogen interaction involving the Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anshika Tandon
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Munesh Kumar Harioudh
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Neeraj Kumar Verma
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Jyotshana Saroj
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Arvind Gupta
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Garima Pant
- Electron Microscopy Unit, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Jitendra Kumar Tripathi
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Amit Kumar
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Tripti Kumari
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Amit Kumar Tripathi
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Kalyan Mitra
- Electron Microscopy Unit, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
| | - Jimut Kanti Ghosh
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110001, India
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9
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White SH. Fifty Years of Biophysics at the Membrane Frontier. Annu Rev Biophys 2023; 52:21-67. [PMID: 36791747 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-051622-112341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
The author first describes his childhood in the South and the ways in which it fostered the values he has espoused throughout his life, his development of a keen fascination with science, and the influences that supported his progress toward higher education. His experiences in ROTC as a student, followed by two years in the US Army during the Vietnam War, honed his leadership skills. The bulk of the autobiography is a chronological journey through his scientific career, beginning with arrival at the University of California, Irvine in 1972, with an emphasis on the postdoctoral students and colleagues who have contributed substantially to each phase of his lab's progress. White's fundamental findings played a key role in the development of membrane biophysics, helping establish it as fertile ground for research. A story gradually unfolds that reveals the deeply collaborative and painstakingly executed work necessary for a successful career in science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen H White
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California, USA;
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10
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The impact of N-glycosylation on the properties of the antimicrobial peptide LL-III. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3733. [PMID: 36878924 PMCID: PMC9988962 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29984-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The misuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may represent valuable alternative to antibiotics; nevertheless, the easy degradation due to environmental stress and proteolytic enzyme action, limits their use. So far, different strategies have been developed to overcome this drawback. Among them, glycosylation of AMPs represents a promising approach. In this work, we synthesized and characterized the N-glycosilated form of the antimicrobial peptide LL-III (g-LL-III). The N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) was covalently linked to the Asn residue and the interaction of g-LL-III with bacterial model membranes, together with its resistance to proteases, were investigated. Glycosylation did not affect the peptide mechanism of action and its biological activity against both bacteria and eukaryotic cells. Interestingly, a higher resistance to the activity of proteolytic enzymes was achieved. The reported results pave the way for the successful application of AMPs in medicine and biotechnological fields.
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11
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Duque HM, Rodrigues G, Santos LS, Franco OL. The biological role of charge distribution in linear antimicrobial peptides. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2023; 18:287-302. [PMID: 36720196 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2023.2173736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) have received particular attention due to their capacity to kill bacteria. Although much is known about them, peptides are currently being further researched. A large number of AMPs have been discovered, but only a few have been approved for topical use, due to their promiscuity and other challenges, which need to be overcome. AREAS COVERED AMPs are diverse in structure. Consequently, they have varied action mechanisms when targeting microorganisms or eukaryotic cells. Herein, the authors focus on linear peptides, particularly those that are alpha-helical structured, and examine how their charge distribution and hydrophobic amino acids could modulate their biological activity. EXPERT OPINION The world currently needs urgent solutions to the infective problems caused by resistant pathogens. In order to start the race for antimicrobial development from the charge distribution viewpoint, bioinformatic tools will be necessary. Currently, there is no software available that allows to discriminate charge distribution in AMPs and predicts the biological effects of this event. Furthermore, there is no software available that predicts the side-chain length of residues and its role in biological functions. More specialized software is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Morales Duque
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, PC: (CEP) 70.790-160, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Gisele Rodrigues
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, PC: (CEP) 70.790-160, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Lucas Souza Santos
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, PC: (CEP) 70.790-160, Brasília-DF, Brazil
| | - Octávio Luiz Franco
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília, PC: (CEP) 70.790-160, Brasília-DF, Brazil.,S-inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, PC: (CEP) 79117-010, Campo Grande-MS, Brazil
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12
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Verma NK, Dewangan RP, Harioudh MK, Ghosh JK. Introduction of a β-leucine residue instead of leucine 9 and glycine 10 residues in Temporin L for improved cell selectivity, stability and activity against planktonic and biofilm of methicillin resistant S. aureus. Bioorg Chem 2023; 134:106440. [PMID: 36870201 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Leucine and glycine residues, at the 9th and 10th positions of helical domain of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide (AMP), Temporin L were substituted with an unnatural amino acid, β-leucine (homovaline) to improve its serum protease stability, haemolytic/cytotoxic properties and reduce the size to some extent. The designed analogue, L9βl-TL showed either equal or improved antimicrobial activity to TL against different microorganisms including the resistant strains. Interestingly, L9βl-TL also exhibited lower haemolytic and cytotoxic activities against human red blood cells and 3T3 cells, respectively. Moreover, L9βl-TL showed antibacterial activity in presence of 25% (v/v) human serum and showed resistance against proteolytic cleavage in presence of it that suggested the serum protease stability of the TL-analogue. L9βl-TL exhibited un-ordered secondary structures in both bacterial and mammalian membrane mimetic lipid vesicles as compared to the helical structures of TL in these environments. However, tryptophan fluorescence studies demonstrated more selective interaction of L9βl-TL with bacterial membrane mimetic lipid vesicles in comparison to non-selective interactions of TL with both kinds of lipid vesicles. Membrane depolarization studies with live MRSA and bacterial membrane-mimetic lipid vesicles suggested a membrane-disrupting mode of action of L9βl-TL. L9βl-TL showed faster bactericidal mechanism compared to TL against MRSA. Interestingly, L9βl-TL was found as more potent than TL either in inhibiting biofilm formation or in eradicating the mature biofilm formed by MRSA. Overall, the present work demonstrates a simple and useful strategy to design of an analogue of TL, with minimal modifications while maintaining its antimicrobial activity with lesser toxicity and higher stability which could be attempted for other AMPs as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeraj Kumar Verma
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Rikeshwer Prasad Dewangan
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.
| | - Munesh Kumar Harioudh
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Jimut Kanti Ghosh
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.
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13
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Al Tall Y, Al-Nassar B, Abualhaijaa A, Sabi SH, Almaaytah A. The design and functional characterization of a novel hybrid antimicrobial peptide from Esculentin-1a and melittin. PHARMACIA 2023. [DOI: 10.3897/pharmacia.70.e97116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial agents are one of the most widely used drugs in medicine. In the last fifty years, the misuse of these agents caused the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria that led to an increase in life-threatening infections. The need to develop new agents has become a priority, and antimicrobial peptides attained high consideration. The antimicrobial activities of a novel In-house designed hybrid cationic peptide (BKR1) were studied against different strains of Gram-negative bacteria. This was done using the broth dilution method as outlined by the Clinical and Laboratory Institute (CLSI). Checkerboard assy was employed to investigate the synergistic activity of BKR1 peptide with four antibiotics (Levofloxacin, chloramphenicol, rifampicin, and ampicillin). Finally, the cytotoxicity of BKR1 was evaluated against human blood cells and mammalian kidney cells (Vero cells). BKR1 displayed bactericidal activity against tested strains of Gram-negative bacteria, with zero hemolytic effects. It also acts as a strong adjuvant with levofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and rifampicin against resistant strains of P. aeruginosa and E. coli. This study represents the design and elucidation of the antimicrobial activities of a novel hybrid antimicrobial peptide named (BKR1). Our results indicate thar BKR1 is a promising candidate to treat resistant infectious diseases individually or as an adjuvant with conventional antibiotics.
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14
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Takahashi H, Sovadinova I, Yasuhara K, Vemparala S, Caputo GA, Kuroda K. Biomimetic antimicrobial polymers—Design, characterization, antimicrobial, and novel applications. WIRES NANOMEDICINE AND NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 15:e1866. [PMID: 36300561 DOI: 10.1002/wnan.1866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Biomimetic antimicrobial polymers have been an area of great interest as the need for novel antimicrobial compounds grows due to the development of resistance. These polymers were designed and developed to mimic naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides in both physicochemical composition and mechanism of action. These antimicrobial peptide mimetic polymers have been extensively investigated using chemical, biophysical, microbiological, and computational approaches to gain a deeper understanding of the molecular interactions that drive function. These studies have helped inform SARs, mechanism of action, and general physicochemical factors that influence the activity and properties of antimicrobial polymers. However, there are still lingering questions in this field regarding 3D structural patterning, bioavailability, and applicability to alternative targets. In this review, we present a perspective on the development and characterization of several antimicrobial polymers and discuss novel applications of these molecules emerging in the field. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruko Takahashi
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life Hiroshima University Higashi‐Hiroshima Hiroshima Japan
| | - Iva Sovadinova
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | - Kazuma Yasuhara
- Division of Materials Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology Nara Institute of Science and Technology Nara Japan
- Center for Digital Green‐Innovation Nara Institute of Science and Technology Nara Japan
| | - Satyavani Vemparala
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences CIT Campus Chennai India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute Training School Complex Mumbai India
| | - Gregory A. Caputo
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Rowan University Glassboro New Jersey USA
| | - Kenichi Kuroda
- Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA
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15
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Doolan JA, Williams GT, Hilton KLF, Chaudhari R, Fossey JS, Goult BT, Hiscock JR. Advancements in antimicrobial nanoscale materials and self-assembling systems. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:8696-8755. [PMID: 36190355 PMCID: PMC9575517 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00915j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is directly responsible for more deaths per year than either HIV/AIDS or malaria and is predicted to incur a cumulative societal financial burden of at least $100 trillion between 2014 and 2050. Already heralded as one of the greatest threats to human health, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections due to factors including increased global antibiotic/antimicrobial use. Thus an urgent need for novel therapeutics to combat what some have termed the 'silent pandemic' is evident. This review acts as a repository of research and an overview of the novel therapeutic strategies being developed to overcome antimicrobial resistance, with a focus on self-assembling systems and nanoscale materials. The fundamental mechanisms of action, as well as the key advantages and disadvantages of each system are discussed, and attention is drawn to key examples within each field. As a result, this review provides a guide to the further design and development of antimicrobial systems, and outlines the interdisciplinary techniques required to translate this fundamental research towards the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack A Doolan
- School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK.
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK.
| | - George T Williams
- School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Kira L F Hilton
- School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK.
| | - Rajas Chaudhari
- School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK.
| | - John S Fossey
- School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Benjamin T Goult
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK.
| | - Jennifer R Hiscock
- School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK.
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16
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Luong AD, Buzid A, Luong JHT. Important Roles and Potential Uses of Natural and Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) in Oral Diseases: Cavity, Periodontal Disease, and Thrush. J Funct Biomater 2022; 13:jfb13040175. [PMID: 36278644 PMCID: PMC9589978 DOI: 10.3390/jfb13040175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous epithelial cells and sometimes leukocytes release AMPs as their first line of defense. AMPs encompass cationic histatins, defensins, and cathelicidin to encounter oral pathogens with minimal resistance. However, their concentrations are significantly below the effective levels and AMPs are unstable under physiological conditions due to proteolysis, acid hydrolysis, and salt effects. In parallel to a search for more effective AMPs from natural sources, considerable efforts have focused on synthetic stable and low-cytotoxicy AMPs with significant activities against microorganisms. Using natural AMP templates, various attempts have been used to synthesize sAMPs with different charges, hydrophobicity, chain length, amino acid sequence, and amphipathicity. Thus far, sAMPs have been designed to target Streptococcus mutans and other common oral pathogens. Apart from sAMPs with antifungal activities against Candida albicans, future endeavors should focus on sAMPs with capabilities to promote remineralization and antibacterial adhesion. Delivery systems using nanomaterials and biomolecules are promising to stabilize, reduce cytotoxicity, and improve the antimicrobial activities of AMPs against oral pathogens. Nanostructured AMPs will soon become a viable alternative to antibiotics due to their antimicrobial mechanisms, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, low drug residue, and ease of synthesis and modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Donald Luong
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA
| | - Alyah Buzid
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 380, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
| | - John H. T. Luong
- School of Chemistry and Analytical & Biological Chemistry Research Facility (ABCRF), University College Cork, College Road, T12 YN60 Cork, Ireland
- Correspondence: or
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17
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Maron B, Rolff J, Friedman J, Hayouka Z. Antimicrobial Peptide Combination Can Hinder Resistance Evolution. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0097322. [PMID: 35862981 PMCID: PMC9430149 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00973-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic-resistant microbial pathogens are becoming a major threat to human health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new alternatives to conventional antibiotics. One such promising alternative is antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are produced by virtually all organisms and typically inhibit bacteria via membrane disruption. However, previous studies demonstrated that bacteria can rapidly develop AMP resistance. Here, we study whether combination therapy, known to be able to inhibit the evolution of resistance to conventional antibiotics, can also hinder the evolution of AMP resistance. To do so, we evolved the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus in the presence of individual AMPs, AMP pairs, and a combinatorial antimicrobial peptide library. Treatment with some AMP pairs indeed hindered the evolution of resistance compared with individual AMPs. In particular, resistance to pairs was delayed when resistance to the individual AMPs came at a cost of impaired bacterial growth and did not confer cross-resistance to other tested AMPs. The lowest level of resistance evolved during treatment with the combinatorial antimicrobial peptide library termed random antimicrobial peptide mixture, which contains more than a million different peptides. A better understanding of how AMP combinations affect the evolution of resistance is a crucial step in order to design "resistant proof" AMP cocktails that will offer a sustainable treatment option for antibiotic-resistant pathogens. IMPORTANCE The main insights gleaned from this study are the following. (i) AMP combination treatment can delay the evolution of resistance in S. aureus. Treatment with some AMP pairs resulted in significantly lower resistance then treatment with either of the individual AMPs. Treatment with a random AMP library resulted in no detectable resistance. (ii) The rate at which resistance to combination arises correlates with the cost of resistance to individual AMPs and their cross-resistance. In particular, combinations to which the least resistance arose involved AMPs with high fitness cost of resistance and low cross-resistance. (iii) No broad-range AMP resistance evolved. Strains that evolved resistance to some AMPs typically remained sensitive to other AMPs, alleviating concerns regarding the evolution of resistance to immune system AMPs in response to AMP treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bar Maron
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jens Rolff
- Institute of Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Freie University, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jonathan Friedman
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Zvi Hayouka
- Institute of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
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18
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A new bioinspired peptide on defensin from C. annuum fruits: Antimicrobial activity, mechanisms of action and therapeutical potential. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2022; 1866:130218. [PMID: 35905923 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2022.130218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial peptides, natural or synthetic, appear as promising molecules for antimicrobial therapy because of their both broad antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action. Herein, we determine the anti-Candida and antimycobacterial activities, mechanism of action on yeasts, and cytotoxicity on mammalian cells in the presence of the bioinspired peptide CaDef2.1G27-K44. METHODS CaDef2.1G27-K44 was designed to attain the following criteria: high positive net charge; low molecular weight (<3000 Da); Boman index ≤2.5; and total hydrophobic ratio ≥ 40%. The mechanism of action was studied by growth inhibition, plasma membrane permeabilization, ROS induction, mitochondrial functionality, and metacaspase activity assays. The cytotoxicity on macrophages, monocytes, and erythrocytes were also determined. RESULTS CaDef2.1G27-K44 showed inhibitory activity against Candida spp. with MIC100 values ranging from 25 to 50 μM and the standard and clinical isolate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with MIC50 of 33.2 and 55.4 μM, respectively. We demonstrate that CaDef2.1G27-K44 is active against yeasts at different salt concentrations, induced morphological alterations, caused membrane permeabilization, increased ROS, causes loss of mitochondrial functionality, and activation of metacaspases. CaDef2.1G27-K44 has low cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained showed that CaDef2.1G27-K44 has great antimicrobial activity against Candida spp. and M. tuberculosis with low toxicity to host cells. For Candida spp., the treatment with CaDef2.1G27-K44 induces a process of regulated cell death with apoptosis-like features. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE We show a new AMP bioinspired with physicochemical characteristics important for selectivity and antimicrobial activity, which is a promising candidate for drug development, mainly to control Candida infections.
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19
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Akbarzadeh-Khiavi M, Torabi M, Olfati AH, Rahbarnia L, Safary A. Bio-nano scale modifications of melittin for improving therapeutic efficacy. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2022; 22:895-909. [PMID: 35687355 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2022.2088277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Melittin (MLT), a natural membrane-active component, is the most prominent cytolytic peptide from bee venom. Remarkable biological properties of MLT, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-protozoan, and antiarthritic activities, make it an up-and-coming therapeutic candidate for a wide variety of human diseases. Therapeutic applications of MLT may be hindered due to low stability, high toxicity, and weak tissue penetration. Different bio-nano scale modifications hold promise for improving its functionality and therapeutic efficacy. AREAS COVERED In the current review, we aimed to provide a comprehensive insight into strategies used for MLT conjugations and modifications, cellular delivery of modified forms, and their clinical perspectives by reviewing the published literature on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. We also emphasized the MLT structure modifications, mechanism of action, and cellular toxicity. EXPERT OPINION Developing new analogs and conjugates of MLT as a natural drug with improved functions and fewer side effects is crucial for the clinical translation of this approach worldwide, especially where the chemicals and synthetic drugs are more expensive or unavailable in the healthcare system. MLT-nanoconjugation may be one of the best-optimized strategies for improving peptide delivery, increasing its therapeutic efficacy, and providing minimal nonspecific cellular lytic activity. [Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Akbarzadeh-Khiavi
- Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Center Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mitra Torabi
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Amir-Hossein Olfati
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Leila Rahbarnia
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Azam Safary
- Connective Tissue Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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20
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Siddiqui T, Khan NJ, Asif N, Ahamad I, Yasin D, Fatma T. Screening, characterisation and bioactivities of green fabricated TiO 2 NP via cyanobacterial extract. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:39052-39066. [PMID: 35098455 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17639-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The present study was aimed at exploring 37 strains of cyanobacteria for the biofabrication of TiO2 NP and evaluation of their antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial and hemolytic activity. Screening of cyanobacterial strains was done via SEM, followed by optimisation and characterisation of the best strain. Synechocystis NCCU-370 appeared as the best strain for the synthesis of TiO2 NP in terms of size (73.39 nm) and time (24 h) after screening. Following optimisation, nanoparticles were synthesised in 12 h having an average grain size of 16 nm. The aqueous extract preparation required heating of 5 mg/ml of powdered biomass to 60 °C for 10 min. Optimum conditions for the synthesis of TiO2 NP were found to be pH 7, 30 °C and 12-h cell extract exposure to 0.1 mM of salt. Antioxidant activity was evaluated via DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assay. Antifungal potential was explored against Candida albicans (MIC = 125 µg/ml), Candida glabrata (MIC = 500 µg/ml) and Candida tropicalis (MIC = 250 µg/ml), whereas antibacterial potential was gauged for Bacillus cereus (MIC = 31.25 µg/ml), Escherichia coli (MIC = 31.25 µg/ml) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (MIC = 500 µg/ml) strains. Biogenic TiO2 NP demonstrated partial synergistic effect and excellent biocompatibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tabassum Siddiqui
- Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India
| | - Nida Jamil Khan
- Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India
| | - Nida Asif
- Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India
| | - Irshad Ahamad
- Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India
| | - Durdana Yasin
- Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India
| | - Tasneem Fatma
- Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi, 110025, India.
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21
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Greve JM, Cowan JA. Tackling antimicrobial stewardship through synergy and antimicrobial peptides. RSC Med Chem 2022; 13:511-521. [PMID: 35694695 PMCID: PMC9132191 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00048b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The unrestricted use of antibiotics has led to rapid development of antibiotic resistance (AR) and renewed calls to address this serious problem. This review summarizes the most common mechanisms of antibiotic action, and in turn antibiotic resistance, as well as pathways to mitigate the harm. Focus is then turned to emerging antibiotic strategies, including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), with a discussion of their modes of action, biochemical features, and potential challenges for their use as antibiotics. The role of synergy in antimicrobials is also examined, with a focus on the synergy of AMPs and other emerging interactions with synergistic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna M Greve
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University 100 West 18th Avenue Columbus Ohio 43210 USA +1 614 292 2703
| | - James A Cowan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University 100 West 18th Avenue Columbus Ohio 43210 USA +1 614 292 2703
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22
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Oliva R, Campanile M, Del Vecchio P, Pizzo E, Bosso A, Winter R, Petraccone L. The C-terminus of the GKY20 antimicrobial peptide, derived from human thrombin, plays a key role in its membrane perturbation capability. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:7994-8002. [PMID: 35314853 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp05857f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Previously, we characterized in detail the mechanism of action of the antimicrobial peptide GKY20, showing that it selectively perturbs the bacterial-like membrane employing peptide conformational changes, lipid segregation and domain formation as key steps in promoting membrane disruption. Here, we used a combination of biophysical techniques to similarly characterize the antimicrobial activity as well as the membrane perturbing capability of GKY10, a much shorter version of the GKY20 peptide. GKY10 is only half of the parent peptide and consists of the last 10 amino acids (starting from the C-terminus) of the full-length peptide. Despite a large difference in length, we found that GKY10, like the parent peptide, retains the ability to adopt a helical structure and to induce lipid segregation upon membrane binding. Overall, our results suggest that the amino acid sequence of GKY10 is responsible for most of the observed behaviors of GKY20. Our results shed further light on the mechanism of action of the full-length peptide and provide useful information for the design and development of new peptides that serve as antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Oliva
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.,Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy.
| | - Marco Campanile
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy.
| | - Pompea Del Vecchio
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy.
| | - Elio Pizzo
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Bosso
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Roland Winter
- Physical Chemistry I - Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Street 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Luigi Petraccone
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Naples, Italy.
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23
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Progress Report: Antimicrobial Drug Discovery in the Resistance Era. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15040413. [PMID: 35455410 PMCID: PMC9030565 DOI: 10.3390/ph15040413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance continues to be a most serious threat to public health. This situation demands that the scientific community increase their efforts for the discovery of alternative strategies to circumvent the problems associated with conventional small molecule therapeutics. The Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) Report (published in June 2021) discloses the rapidly increasing number of bacterial infections that are mainly caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. These concerns have initiated various government agencies and other organizations to educate the public regarding the appropriate use of antibiotics. This review discusses a brief highlight on the timeline of antimicrobial drug discovery with a special emphasis on the historical development of antimicrobial resistance. In addition, new antimicrobial targets and approaches, recent developments in drug screening, design, and delivery were covered. This review also discusses the emergence and roles of various antibiotic adjuvants and combination therapies while shedding light on current challenges and future perspectives. Overall, the emergence of resistant microbial strains has challenged drug discovery but their efforts to develop alternative technologies such as nanomaterials seem to be promising for the future.
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24
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Lee S, Kichik N, Hepworth OW, Richardson JP, Naglik JR. In Vitro Biophysical Characterization of Candidalysin: A Fungal Peptide Toxin. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2542:163-176. [PMID: 36008664 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2549-1_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In 2016, the first peptide toxin in any human fungal pathogen was identified. It was discovered in Candida albicans and was named candidalysin. Candidalysin is an amphipathic cationic peptide that damages cell membranes. Like most lytic peptides, candidalysin shows alpha-helical secondary structure. As the helicity and the membrane lytic activity of candidalysin are key factors for pathogenicity, here we describe in vitro approaches to monitor both its membrane-lytic function and the secondary structure. First, membrane permeabilization activity of candidalysin is measured in real time by direct electrical recording. Second, the secondary structure and helicity of candidalysin are determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy. These biophysical methods provide a means to characterize the activity and physical properties of candidalysin in vitro and will be useful in determining the structural and functional features of candidalysin and other similar cationic membrane-active peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sejeong Lee
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Nessim Kichik
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Olivia W Hepworth
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Chemistry, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jonathan P Richardson
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Julian R Naglik
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
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25
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Prediction of antimicrobial peptides toxicity based on their physico-chemical properties using machine learning techniques. BMC Bioinformatics 2021; 22:549. [PMID: 34758751 PMCID: PMC8582201 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-021-04468-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Antimicrobial peptides are promising tools to fight against ever-growing antibiotic resistance. However, despite many advantages, their toxicity to mammalian cells is a critical obstacle in clinical application and needs to be addressed. Results In this study, by using an up-to-date dataset, a machine learning model has been trained successfully to predict the toxicity of antimicrobial peptides. The comprehensive set of features of both physico-chemical and linguistic-based with local and global essences have undergone feature selection to identify key properties behind toxicity of antimicrobial peptides. After feature selection, the hybrid model showed the best performance with a recall of 0. 876 and a F1 score of 0. 849. Conclusions The obtained model can be useful in extracting AMPs with low toxicity from AMP libraries in clinical applications. On the other hand, several properties with local nature including positions of strand forming and hydrophobic residues in final selected features show that these properties are critical definer of peptide properties and should be considered in developing models for activity prediction of peptides. The executable code is available at https://git.io/JRZaT. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-021-04468-y.
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26
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Pratap Verma D, Ansari MM, Verma NK, Saroj J, Akhtar S, Pant G, Mitra K, Singh BN, Ghosh JK. Tandem Repeat of a Short Human Chemerin-Derived Peptide and Its Nontoxic d-Lysine-Containing Enantiomer Display Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial and Antitubercular Activities. J Med Chem 2021; 64:15349-15366. [PMID: 34662112 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
To design novel antimicrobial peptides by utilizing the sequence of the human host defense protein, chemerin, a seven-residue amphipathic stretch located in the amino acid region, 109-115, was identified, which possesses the highest density of hydrophobic and positively charged residues. Although this 7-mer peptide was inactive toward microorganisms, its 14-mer tandem repeat (Chem-KVL) was highly active against different bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain, and slow- and fast-growing mycobacterial species. The selective enantiomeric substitutions of its two l-lysine residues were attempted to confer cell selectivity and proteolytic stability to Chem-KVL. Chem-8dK with a d-lysine replacement in its middle (eighth position) showed the lowest hemolytic activity against human red blood cells among Chem-KVL analogues and maintained high antimicrobial properties. Chem-8dK showed in vivo efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in BALB/c mice and inhibited the development of resistance in this microorganism up to 30 serial passages and growth of intracellular mycobacteria in THP-1 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devesh Pratap Verma
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Mohd Mustkim Ansari
- Division of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Neeraj Kumar Verma
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Jyotshana Saroj
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Sariyah Akhtar
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Garima Pant
- Electron Microscopy Unit, SAIF &R Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India
| | - Kalyan Mitra
- Electron Microscopy Unit, SAIF &R Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Bhupendra Narain Singh
- Division of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110001, India
| | - Jimut Kanti Ghosh
- Biochemistry and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226031, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi 110001, India
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27
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Erdem Büyükkiraz M, Kesmen Z. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs): A promising class of antimicrobial compounds. J Appl Microbiol 2021; 132:1573-1596. [PMID: 34606679 DOI: 10.1111/jam.15314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are compounds, which have inhibitory activity against microorganisms. In the last decades, AMPs have become powerful alternative agents that have met the need for novel anti-infectives to overcome increasing antibiotic resistance problems. Moreover, recent epidemics and pandemics are increasing the popularity of AMPs, due to the urgent necessity for effective antimicrobial agents in combating the new emergence of microbial diseases. AMPs inhibit a wide range of microorganisms through diverse and special mechanisms by targeting mainly cell membranes or specific intracellular components. In addition to extraction from natural sources, AMPs are produced in various hosts using recombinant methods. More recently, the synthetic analogues of AMPs, designed with some modifications, are predicted to overcome the limitations of stability, toxicity and activity associated with natural AMPs. AMPs have potential applications as antimicrobial agents in food, agriculture, environment, animal husbandry and pharmaceutical industries. In this review, we have provided an overview of the structure, classification and mechanism of action of AMPs, as well as discussed opportunities for their current and potential applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mine Erdem Büyükkiraz
- School of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Cappadocia University, Nevsehir, Turkey
| | - Zülal Kesmen
- Engineering Faculty, Department of Food Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
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28
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Peña-Guerrero J, Fernández-Rubio C, Burguete-Mikeo A, El-Dirany R, García-Sosa AT, Nguewa P. Discovery and Validation of Lmj_04_BRCT Domain, a Novel Therapeutic Target: Identification of Candidate Drugs for Leishmaniasis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910493. [PMID: 34638841 PMCID: PMC8508789 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Since many of the currently available antileishmanial treatments exhibit toxicity, low effectiveness, and resistance, search and validation of new therapeutic targets allowing the development of innovative drugs have become a worldwide priority. This work presents a structure-based drug discovery strategy to validate the Lmj_04_BRCT domain as a novel therapeutic target in Leishmania spp. The structure of this domain was explored using homology modeling, virtual screening, and molecular dynamics studies. Candidate compounds were validated in vitro using promastigotes of Leishmania major, L. amazonensis, and L. infantum, as well as primary mouse macrophages infected with L. major. The novel inhibitor CPE2 emerged as the most active of a group of compounds against Leishmania, being able to significantly reduce the viability of promastigotes. CPE2 was also active against the intracellular forms of the parasites and significantly reduced parasite burden in murine macrophages without exhibiting toxicity in host cells. Furthermore, L. major promastigotes treated with CPE2 showed significant lower expression levels of several genes (α-tubulin, Cyclin CYCA, and Yip1) related to proliferation and treatment resistance. Our in silico and in vitro studies suggest that the Lmj_04_BRCT domain and its here disclosed inhibitors are new potential therapeutic options against leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Peña-Guerrero
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, ISTUN Instituto de Salud Tropical, IdiSNA, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain; (J.P.-G.); (C.F.-R.); (A.B.-M.); (R.E.-D.)
| | - Celia Fernández-Rubio
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, ISTUN Instituto de Salud Tropical, IdiSNA, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain; (J.P.-G.); (C.F.-R.); (A.B.-M.); (R.E.-D.)
| | - Aroia Burguete-Mikeo
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, ISTUN Instituto de Salud Tropical, IdiSNA, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain; (J.P.-G.); (C.F.-R.); (A.B.-M.); (R.E.-D.)
| | - Rima El-Dirany
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, ISTUN Instituto de Salud Tropical, IdiSNA, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain; (J.P.-G.); (C.F.-R.); (A.B.-M.); (R.E.-D.)
| | - Alfonso T. García-Sosa
- Department of Molecular Technology, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Correspondence: (A.T.G.-S.); (P.N.); Tel.: +372-737-5270 (A.T.G.-S.); +34-948-425-600 (ext. 6434) (P.N.)
| | - Paul Nguewa
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, ISTUN Instituto de Salud Tropical, IdiSNA, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra, E-31008 Pamplona, Spain; (J.P.-G.); (C.F.-R.); (A.B.-M.); (R.E.-D.)
- Correspondence: (A.T.G.-S.); (P.N.); Tel.: +372-737-5270 (A.T.G.-S.); +34-948-425-600 (ext. 6434) (P.N.)
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29
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Guha S, Ferrie RP, Ghimire J, Ventura CR, Wu E, Sun L, Kim SY, Wiedman GR, Hristova K, Wimley WC. Applications and evolution of melittin, the quintessential membrane active peptide. Biochem Pharmacol 2021; 193:114769. [PMID: 34543656 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Melittin, the main venom component of the European Honeybee, is a cationic linear peptide-amide of 26 amino acid residues with the sequence: GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ-NH2. Melittin binds to lipid bilayer membranes, folds into amphipathic α-helical secondary structure and disrupts the permeability barrier. Since melittin was first described, a remarkable array of activities and potential applications in biology and medicine have been described. Melittin is also a favorite model system for biophysicists to study the structure, folding and function of peptides and proteins in membranes. Melittin has also been used as a template for the evolution of new activities in membranes. Here we overview the rich history of scientific research into the many activities of melittin and outline exciting future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shantanu Guha
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ryan P Ferrie
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Jenisha Ghimire
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Cristina R Ventura
- Seton Hall University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, South Orange, NJ, USA
| | - Eric Wu
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Leisheng Sun
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Sarah Y Kim
- Duke University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Gregory R Wiedman
- Seton Hall University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, South Orange, NJ, USA
| | - Kalina Hristova
- Johns Hopkins University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Wimley C Wimley
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Houston, TX, USA.
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30
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Effect of L- to D-Amino Acid Substitution on Stability and Activity of Antitumor Peptide RDP215 against Human Melanoma and Glioblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168469. [PMID: 34445175 PMCID: PMC8395111 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The study investigates the antitumor effect of two cationic peptides, R-DIM-P-LF11-215 (RDP215) and the D-amino acid variant 9D-R-DIM-P-LF11-215 (9D-RDP215), targeting the negatively charged lipid phosphatidylserine (PS) exposed by cancer cells, such as of melanoma and glioblastoma. Model studies mimicking cancer and non-cancer membranes revealed the specificity for the cancer-mimic PS by both peptides with a slightly stronger impact by the D-peptide. Accordingly, membrane effects studied by DSC, leakage and quenching experiments were solely induced by the peptides when the cancer mimic PS was present. Circular dichroism revealed a sole increase in β-sheet conformation in the presence of the cancer mimic for both peptides; only 9D-RDP215 showed increased structure already in the buffer. Ex vitro stability studies by SDS-PAGE as well as in vitro with melanoma A375 revealed a stabilizing effect of D-amino acids in the presence of serum, which was also confirmed in 2D and 3D in vitro experiments on glioblastoma LN-229. 9D-RDP215 was additionally able to pass a BBB model, whereupon it induced significant levels of cell death in LN-229 spheroids. Summarized, the study encourages the introduction of D-amino acids in the design of antitumor peptides for the improvement of their stable antitumor activity.
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31
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El-Ashram S, El-Samad LM, Basha AA, El Wakil A. Naturally-derived targeted therapy for wound healing: Beyond classical strategies. Pharmacol Res 2021; 170:105749. [PMID: 34214630 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This review summarizes the four processes of wound healing in the human body (hemostasis, inflammatory, proliferation, and remodeling) and the most current research on the most important factors affecting cutaneous wound healing and the underlying cellular and/or molecular pathways. Local factors, including temperature, oxygenation, and infection, and systemic factors, such as age, diabetes, sex hormones, genetic components, autoimmune diseases, psychological stress, smoking and obesity are also addressed. A better understanding of the role of these factors in wound repair could result in the development of therapeutics that promote wound healing and resolve affected wounds. Additionally, natural products obtained from plants and animals are critical targets for the discovery of novel biologically significant pharmacophores, such as medicines and agrochemicals. This review outlines the most recent advances in naturally derived targeted treatment for wound healing. These are plant-derived natural products, insect-derived natural products, marine-derived natural products, nanomaterial-based wound-healing therapeutics (metal- and non-metal-based nanoparticles), and natural product-based nanomedicine to improve the future direction of wound healing. Natural products extracted from plants and animals have advanced significantly, particularly in the treatment of wound healing. As a result, the isolation and extraction of bioactive compounds from a variety of sources can continue to advance our understanding of wound healing. Undescribed bioactive compounds or unexplored formulations that could have a role in today's medicinal arsenal may be contained in the abundance of natural products and natural product derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeed El-Ashram
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan 528231, Guangdong Province, China; Faculty of Science, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh 33516, Egypt.
| | - Lamia M El-Samad
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Egypt.
| | - Amal A Basha
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Damanhour University, Egypt
| | - Abeer El Wakil
- Biological and Geological Sciences Department, Faculty of Education, Alexandria University, Egypt
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32
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Lima PG, Oliveira JTA, Amaral JL, Freitas CDT, Souza PFN. Synthetic antimicrobial peptides: Characteristics, design, and potential as alternative molecules to overcome microbial resistance. Life Sci 2021; 278:119647. [PMID: 34043990 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Recently, the dramatic emergence of antimicrobial resistance has received attention from World Health Organization. Synthetic antimicrobial peptides (SAMPs) are considered new weapons to fight against infections caused by multi-drug resistant pathogens. Here, the authors provide an overview of the current research on SAMPs. The focus is SAMPs, how to design them, which features must be considered during design, and comparison with natural peptides. This review also includes a discussion about the natural AMPs, mechanisms of action and applications as new drugs or even as adjuvants molecules to enhance commercial drugs activity. The advances in chemical synthesis have reduced the cost to produce synthetic peptides open ways to achieve new antimicrobial agents. Therefore, synthetic peptides are new promising molecules to safeguard human and animal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia G Lima
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceará, CEP 60.440-554 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Jose T A Oliveira
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceará, CEP 60.440-554 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Jackson L Amaral
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceará, CEP 60.440-554 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Cleverson D T Freitas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceará, CEP 60.440-554 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Pedro F N Souza
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceará, CEP 60.440-554 Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
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33
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Tanuwidjaja I, Svečnjak L, Gugić D, Levanić M, Jurić S, Vinceković M, Mrkonjić Fuka M. Chemical Profiling and Antimicrobial Properties of Honey Bee ( Apis mellifera L.) Venom. Molecules 2021; 26:3049. [PMID: 34065282 PMCID: PMC8160683 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26103049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The incidence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has become an alarming clinical and social problem. Therefore, the demand for alternative antimicrobial compounds has increased. In this study, a chemical profile of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) venom (HBV) has been determined by HPLC and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, and tested for antibacterial activity, as well as efficiency with regard to conventional antibiotics. The investigated HBV was of high quality with melittin and total protein contents of 70.10 ± 7.01%, and 84.44 ± 3.12 g/100 g, respectively. The purity of HBV was confirmed by FTIR-ATR spectral profiling, which revealed a unique pattern of absorption bands that are characteristic of its major fractions. In addition, HBV showed a broad spectrum of activity against all three tested biomasses of potentially pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with MIC values ranging between 12.5 and 200 µg/mL, and MBC between 12.5 and 400 µg/mL. When compared to conventional antibiotics, HBV (400 µg) showed up to 27.8% efficiency of tetracycline (30 µg), 52.2% erythromycin (15 µg), 21.2% ciprofloxacin (5 µg), and 34.6% of ampicillin-sulbactam (20 µg). The overall results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of the analyzed HBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Tanuwidjaja
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.T.); (D.G.); (M.M.F.)
| | - Lidija Svečnjak
- Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Domenika Gugić
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.T.); (D.G.); (M.M.F.)
| | - Marko Levanić
- Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Slaven Jurić
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (S.J.); (M.V.)
| | - Marko Vinceković
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (S.J.); (M.V.)
| | - Mirna Mrkonjić Fuka
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (I.T.); (D.G.); (M.M.F.)
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Jiang Y, Chen Y, Song Z, Tan Z, Cheng J. Recent advances in design of antimicrobial peptides and polypeptides toward clinical translation. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 170:261-280. [PMID: 33400958 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The recent outbreaks of infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens have sounded a piercing alarm for the need of new effective antimicrobial agents to guard public health. Among different types of candidates, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and the synthetic mimics of AMPs (SMAMPs) have attracted significant enthusiasm in the past thirty years, due to their unique membrane-active antimicrobial mechanism and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The extensive research has brought many drug candidates into clinical and pre-clinical development. Despite tremendous progresses have been made, several major challenges inherent to current design strategies have slowed down the clinical translational development of AMPs and SMAMPs. However, these challenges also triggered many efforts to redesign and repurpose AMPs. In this review, we will first give an overview on AMPs and their synthetic mimics, and then discuss the current status of their clinical translation. Finally, the recent advances in redesign and repurposing AMPs and SMAMPs are highlighted.
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Shahrour H, Dandache I, Martínez-López AL, González-Gaitano G, Chokr A, Martínez-de-Tejada G. An antibiotic potentiator retains its activity after being immobilized on silicone and prevents growth of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING. C, MATERIALS FOR BIOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS 2021; 121:111876. [PMID: 33579499 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2021.111876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Device-Associated Healthcare-Associated Infections (DA-HAI) are a major threat to public health worldwide since they are associated with increased hospital stays, morbidity, mortality, financial burden, and hospital overload. A strategy to combat DA-HAI involves the use of medical devices endowed with surfaces that can kill or repel pathogens and prevent biofilm formation. We aimed to develop low-toxic protease-resistant anti-biofilm surfaces that can sensitize drug-resistant bacteria to sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics. To this end, we hypothesized that polymyxin B nonapeptide (PMBN) could retain its antibiotic-enhancing potential upon immobilization on a biocompatible polymer, such as silicone. The ability of PMBN-coated silicone to sensitize a multidrug-resistant clinical isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strain Ps4) to antibiotics and block biofilm formation was assessed by viable counting, confocal microscopy and safranin uptake. These assays demonstrated that covalently immobilized PMBN enhances not only antibiotics added exogenously but also those incorporated into the functionalized coating. As a result, the functionalized surface exerted a potent bactericidal activity that precluded biofilm formation. PMBN-coated silicone displayed a high level of stability and very low cytotoxicity and hemolytic activity in the presence of antibiotics. We demonstrated for the first time that an antibiotic enhancer can retain its activity when covalently attached to a solid surface. These findings may be applied to the development of medical devices resistant to biofilm formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hawraa Shahrour
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Research Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Life & Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadat campus, Beirut, Lebanon; Platform of Research and Analysis in Environmental Sciences (PRASE), Doctoral School of Sciences and Technologies, Lebanese University, Hadat campus, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Israa Dandache
- Research Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Life & Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadat campus, Beirut, Lebanon; Platform of Research and Analysis in Environmental Sciences (PRASE), Doctoral School of Sciences and Technologies, Lebanese University, Hadat campus, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Ana L Martínez-López
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | | | - Ali Chokr
- Research Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Life & Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences I, Lebanese University, Hadat campus, Beirut, Lebanon; Platform of Research and Analysis in Environmental Sciences (PRASE), Doctoral School of Sciences and Technologies, Lebanese University, Hadat campus, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Guillermo Martínez-de-Tejada
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain.
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Velasco-Bolom JL, Garduño-Juárez R. Computational studies of membrane pore formation induced by Pin2. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:5060-5068. [PMID: 33397200 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2020.1867640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Understanding, at the molecular level, the effect of AMPs on biological membranes is of crucial importance given the increasing number of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Being part of an ancient type of innate immunity system, AMPs have emerged as a potential solution for which bacteria have not developed resistance. Traditional antibiotics specifically act on biosynthetic pathways, while AMPs may directly destabilize the lipid membrane, but it is unclear how AMPs affect the membrane's stability. We performed multiscale molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the structural features leading to membrane pores formation on zwitterionic and anionic membranes by the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) Pandinin 2 (Pin2). Some experimental reports propose that Pin2 could form barrel-stave pores, while others suggest that it could form toroidal pores. Since there is no conclusive evidence of which type of pore is formed by Pin2 on bilayers, performing molecular dynamics simulations on these systems could shed some light on whether or not or what type of pore Pin2 forms on model membranes. Our results are focused on a detailed description of the pore formation by Pin2 in POPC and POPE:POPG membranes., which strongly suggest that Pin2 forms a toroidal pore and not a barrel-shaped pore; this type of pore also affects the membrane properties. In the process, a phospholipid remodeling in the POPE:POPG membrane takes place. Moreover, the pores formed by Pin2 indicate that they are selective for the chlorine ion. There are no previous ion selectivity reports for other AMPs with similar physicochemical properties, such as melittin and magainin.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- José-Luis Velasco-Bolom
- Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.,Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ramón Garduño-Juárez
- Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
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Bee Venom in Wound Healing. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 26:molecules26010148. [PMID: 33396220 PMCID: PMC7795515 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26010148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Bee venom (BV), also known as api-toxin, is widely used in the treatment of different inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis. It is also known that BV can improve the wound healing process. BV plays a crucial role in the modulation of the different phases of wound repair. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral, antimicrobial and analgesic properties, all of which have a positive impact on the wound healing process. The mentioned process consists of four phases, i.e., hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. The impaired wound healing process constitutes a significant problem especially in diabetic patients, due to hypoxia state. It had been found that BV accelerated the wound healing in diabetic patients as well as in laboratory animals by impairing the caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9 activity. Moreover, the activity of BV in wound healing is associated with regulating the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), vascular endothelial growth factor and increased collagen type I. BV stimulates the proliferation and migration of human epidermal keratinocytes and fibroblasts. In combination with polyvinyl alcohol and chitosan, BV significantly accelerates the wound healing process, increasing the hydroxyproline and glutathione and lowering the IL-6 level in wound tissues. The effect of BV on the wounds has been proved by numerous studies, which revealed that BV in the wound healing process brings about a curative effect and could be applied as a new potential treatment for wound repair. However, therapy with bee venom may induce allergic reactions, so it is necessary to assess the existence of the patient’s hypersensitivity to apitoxin before treatment.
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Jiang Y, Han M, Bo Y, Feng Y, Li W, Wu JR, Song Z, Zhao Z, Tan Z, Chen Y, Xue T, Fu Z, Kuo SH, Lau GW, Luijten E, Cheng J. "Metaphilic" Cell-Penetrating Polypeptide-Vancomycin Conjugate Efficiently Eradicates Intracellular Bacteria via a Dual Mechanism. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2020; 6:2267-2276. [PMID: 33376787 PMCID: PMC7760462 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.0c00893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Infections by intracellular pathogens are difficult to treat because of the poor accessibility of antibiotics to the pathogens encased by host cell membranes. As such, a strategy that can improve the membrane permeability of antibiotics would significantly increase their efficiency against the intracellular pathogens. Here, we report the design of an adaptive, metaphilic cell-penetrating polypeptide (CPP)-antibiotic conjugate (VPP-G) that can effectively eradicate the intracellular bacteria both in vitro and in vivo. VPP-G was synthesized by attaching vancomycin to a highly membrane-penetrative guanidinium-functionalized metaphilic CPP. VPP-G effectively kills not only extracellular but also far more challenging intracellular pathogens, such as S. aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. VPP-G enters the host cell via a unique metaphilic membrane penetration mechanism and kills intracellular bacteria through disruption of both cell wall biosynthesis and membrane integrity. This dual antimicrobial mechanism of VPP-G prevents bacteria from developing drug resistance and could also potentially kill dormant intracellular bacteria. VPP-G effectively eradicates MRSA in vivo, significantly outperforming vancomycin, which represents one of the most effective intracellular antibacterial agents reported so far. This strategy can be easily adapted to develop other conjugates against different intracellular pathogens by attaching different antibiotics to these highly membrane-penetrative metaphilic CPPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunjiang Jiang
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Ming Han
- Applied Physics Graduate Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Department of Engineering
Sciences and Applied Mathematics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Chicago
Materials Research Center, University of
Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Yang Bo
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Yujun Feng
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Wenming Li
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Jason Ren Wu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Ziyuan Song
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Zihao Zhao
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Zhengzhong Tan
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Yingying Chen
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Tianrui Xue
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Zihuan Fu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Shanny Hsuan Kuo
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Gee W. Lau
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Erik Luijten
- Applied Physics Graduate Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Department of Engineering
Sciences and Applied Mathematics, Department of Chemistry, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Jianjun Cheng
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced
Science and Technology, Department of Bioegineering, Department of Chemistry, Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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Rounds T, Straus SK. Lipidation of Antimicrobial Peptides as a Design Strategy for Future Alternatives to Antibiotics. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21249692. [PMID: 33353161 PMCID: PMC7766664 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Multi-drug-resistant bacteria are becoming more prevalent, and treating these bacteria is becoming a global concern. One alternative approach to combat bacterial resistance is to use antimicrobial (AMPs) or host-defense peptides (HDPs) because they possess broad-spectrum activity, function in a variety of ways, and lead to minimal resistance. However, the therapeutic efficacy of HDPs is limited by a number of factors, including systemic toxicity, rapid degradation, and low bioavailability. One approach to circumvent these issues is to use lipidation, i.e., the attachment of one or more fatty acid chains to the amine groups of the N-terminus or a lysine residue of an HDP. In this review, we examined lipidated analogs of 66 different HDPs reported in the literature to determine: (i) whether there is a link between acyl chain length and antibacterial activity; (ii) whether the charge and (iii) the hydrophobicity of the HDP play a role; and (iv) whether acyl chain length and toxicity are related. Overall, the analysis suggests that lipidated HDPs with improved activity over the nonlipidated counterpart had acyl chain lengths of 8–12 carbons. Moreover, active lipidated peptides attached to short HDPs tended to have longer acyl chain lengths. Neither the charge of the parent HDP nor the percent hydrophobicity of the peptide had an apparent significant impact on the antibacterial activity. Finally, the relationship between acyl chain length and toxicity was difficult to determine due to the fact that toxicity is quantified in different ways. The impact of these trends, as well as combined strategies such as the incorporation of d- and non-natural amino acids or alternative approaches, will be discussed in light of how lipidation may play a role in the future development of antimicrobial peptide-based alternatives to current therapeutics.
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40
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Expression of Hybrid Peptide EF-1 in Pichia pastoris, Its Purification, and Antimicrobial Characterization. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25235538. [PMID: 33255863 PMCID: PMC7728367 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25235538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
EF-1 is a novel peptide derived from two bacteriocins, plantaricin E and plantaricin F. It has a strong antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and with negligible hemolytic effect on red blood cells. However, the chemical synthesis of EF-1 is limited by its high cost. In this study, we established a heterologous expression of EF-1 in Pichia pastoris. The transgenic strain successfully expressed hybrid EF-1 peptide, which had a molecular weight of ~5 kDa as expected. The recombinant EF-1 was purified by Ni2+ affinity chromatography and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), which achieved a yield of 32.65 mg/L with a purity of 94.9%. The purified EF-1 exhibited strong antimicrobial and bactericidal activities against both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Furthermore, propidium iodide staining and scanning electron microscopy revealed that EF-1 can directly induce cell membrane permeabilization of E. coli. Therefore, the hybrid EF-1 not only preserves the individual properties of the parent peptides, but also acquires the ability to disrupt Gram-negative bacterial membrane. Meanwhile, such an expression system can reduce both the time and cost for large-scale peptide production, which ensures its potential application at the industrial level.
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41
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Malanovic N, Ön A, Pabst G, Zellner A, Lohner K. Octenidine: Novel insights into the detailed killing mechanism of Gram-negative bacteria at a cellular and molecular level. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2020; 56:106146. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.106146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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42
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Azmi S, Verma NK, Tripathi JK, Srivastava S, Verma DP, Ghosh JK. Introduction of cell‐selectivity in bovine cathelicidin
BMAP
‐28 by exchanging heptadic isoleucine with the adjacent proline at a non‐heptadic position. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarfuddin Azmi
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division CSIR‐CDRI Lucknow India
- Scientific Research Centre Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Sulaimaniyah Riyadh Saudi Arabia
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Kumari T, Verma DP, Afshan T, Verma NK, Pant G, Ali M, Shukla PK, Mitra K, Ghosh JK. A Noncytotoxic Temporin L Analogue with In Vivo Antibacterial and Antiendotoxin Activities and a Nonmembrane-Lytic Mode of Action. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:2369-2385. [PMID: 32786286 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Cytotoxic frog antimicrobial peptide Temporin L (TempL) is an attractive molecule for the design of lead antimicrobial agents due to its short size and versatile biological activities. However, noncytotoxic TempL variants with desirable biological activities have rarely been reported. TempL analogue Q3K,TempL is water-soluble and possesses a significant antiendotoxin property along with comparable cytotoxicity to TempL. A phenylalanine residue, located at the hydrophobic face of Q3K,TempL and the "d" position of its phenylalanine zipper sequence, was replaced with a cationic lysine residue. This analogue, Q3K,F8K,TempL, showed reduced hydrophobic moment and was noncytotoxic with lower antimicrobial activity. Interestingly, swapping between tryptophan at the fourth and serine at the sixth positions turned Q3K,F8K,TempL totally amphipathic as reflected by its helical wheel projection with clusters of hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues and the highest hydrophobic moment among these peptides. Surprisingly, this analogue, SW,Q3K,F8K,TempL, was as noncytotoxic as Q3K,F8K,TempL but showed augmented antimicrobial and antiendotoxin properties, comparable to that of TempL and Q3K,TempL. SW,Q3K,F8K,TempL exhibited appreciable survival of mice against P. aeruginosa infection and a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Unlike TempL and Q3K,TempL, SW,Q3K,F8K,TempL adopted an unordered secondary structure in bacterial membrane mimetic lipid vesicles and did not permeabilize them or depolarize the bacterial membrane. Overall, the results demonstrate the design of a nontoxic TempL analogue that possesses clusters of hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues with impaired secondary structure and shows a nonmembrane-lytic mechanism and in vivo antiendotoxin and antimicrobial activities. This paradigm of design of antimicrobial peptide with clusters of hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues and high hydrophobic moment but low secondary structure could be attempted further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tripti Kumari
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Devesh Pratap Verma
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Tayyaba Afshan
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Neeraj Kumar Verma
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Garima Pant
- Electron Microscopy Unit, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Mehmood Ali
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - P. K. Shukla
- Microbiology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Kalyan Mitra
- Electron Microscopy Unit, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
| | - Jimut Kanti Ghosh
- Molecular and Structural Biology Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Sector 10, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226 031, India
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Zinc-loaded palygorskite nanocomposites for catheter coating with excellent antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2020.124965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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45
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Azuma E, Choda N, Odaki M, Yano Y, Matsuzaki K. Improvement of Therapeutic Index by the Combination of Enhanced Peptide Cationicity and Proline Introduction. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:2271-2278. [PMID: 32786298 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising candidates for new therapeutics to combat the emergence of an increasing number of multidrug-resistant pathogens. However, a major obstacle to the systemic application of AMPs is their possible toxicity. In this study, we improved the therapeutic index of the typical AMP F5W-magainin 2 by simultaneously introducing positive charges (+9-+10) and Pro residues. The former and latter contributed to enhanced antimicrobial activity and reduced cytotoxicity, respectively. The results were sensitive to the positions of Pro substitution. The antimicrobial mechanism was considered to involve both membrane permeabilization and DNA binding. The latter was affected by the peptide charge but not the presence of Pro. The neutralization of lipopolysaccharides, another important role of AMPs, was not very sensitive to either the peptide charge or Pro introduction. This strategy using intrinsic amino acids is also promising from the viewpoints of the economic mass production of AMPs and safety of metabolized peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Azuma
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Naoki Choda
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Mayu Odaki
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Yano
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Katsumi Matsuzaki
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
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46
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Kapil S, Sharma V. d-Amino acids in antimicrobial peptides: a potential approach to treat and combat antimicrobial resistance. Can J Microbiol 2020; 67:119-137. [PMID: 32783775 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2020-0142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the leading challenges in the human healthcare segment. Advances in antimicrobial resistance have triggered exploration of natural alternatives to stabilize its seriousness. Antimicrobial peptides are small, positively charged oligopeptides that are as potent as commercially available antibiotics against a wide spectrum of organisms, such as Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, viruses, and fungal strains. In addition to their antibiotic capabilities, these peptides possess anticancer activity, activate the immune response, and regulate inflammation. Peptides have distinct modes of action and fall into various categories due to their amino acid composition. Although antimicrobial peptides specifically target the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, they can also target the cell nucleus and protein synthesis. Owing to the increasing demand for novel treatments against the threat of antimicrobial resistance, naturally synthesized peptides are a beneficial development concept. Antimicrobial peptides are pervasive and can easily be modified using de-novo synthesis technology. Antimicrobial peptides can be isolated from natural resources such as humans, plants, bacteria, and fungi. This review gives a brief overview of antimicrobial peptides and their diastereomeric composition. Other current trends, the future scope of antimicrobial peptides, and the role of d-amino acids are also discussed, with a specific emphasis on the design and development of new drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shikha Kapil
- University Institute of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, Gharuan Mohali, Punjab 140413, India.,University Institute of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, Gharuan Mohali, Punjab 140413, India
| | - Vipasha Sharma
- University Institute of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, Gharuan Mohali, Punjab 140413, India.,University Institute of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, Gharuan Mohali, Punjab 140413, India
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Bhattacharjya S, Straus SK. Design, Engineering and Discovery of Novel α-Helical and β-Boomerang Antimicrobial Peptides against Drug Resistant Bacteria. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21165773. [PMID: 32796755 PMCID: PMC7460851 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21165773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In an era where the pipeline of new antibiotic development is drying up, the continuous rise of multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) bacteria are genuine threats to human health. Although antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may serve as promising leads against drug resistant bacteria, only a few AMPs are in advanced clinical trials. The limitations of AMPs, namely their low in vivo activity, toxicity, and poor bioavailability, need to be addressed. Here, we review engineering of frog derived short α-helical AMPs (aurein, temporins) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding designed β-boomerang AMPs for further development. The discovery of novel cell selective AMPs from the human proprotein convertase furin is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surajit Bhattacharjya
- School of Biological Sciences, 60 Nanyang Drive, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
- Correspondence: (S.B.); (S.K.S.)
| | - Suzana K. Straus
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
- Correspondence: (S.B.); (S.K.S.)
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48
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Ramamourthy G, Park J, Seo C, J. Vogel H, Park Y. Antifungal and Antibiofilm Activities and the Mechanism of Action of Repeating Lysine-Tryptophan Peptides against Candida albicans. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E758. [PMID: 32443520 PMCID: PMC7285485 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8050758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid increase in the emergence of antifungal-resistant Candida albicans strains is becoming a serious health concern. Because antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may provide a potential alternative to conventional antifungal agents, we have synthesized a series of peptides with a varying number of lysine and tryptophan repeats (KWn-NH2). The antifungal activity of these peptides increased with peptide length, but only the longest KW5 peptide displayed cytotoxicity towards a human keratinocyte cell line. The KW4 and KW5 peptides exhibited strong antifungal activity against C. albicans, even under conditions of high-salt and acidic pH, or the addition of fungal cell wall components. Moreover, KW4 inhibited biofilm formation by a fluconazole-resistant C. albicans strain. Circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy indicated that fungal liposomes could interact with the longer peptides but that they did not release the fluorescent dye calcein. Subsequently, fluorescence assays with different dyes revealed that KW4 did not disrupt the membrane integrity of intact fungal cells. Scanning electron microscopy showed no changes in fungal morphology, while laser-scanning confocal microscopy indicated that KW4 can localize into the cytosol of C. albicans. Gel retardation assays revealed that KW4 can bind to fungal RNA as a potential intracellular target. Taken together, our data indicate that KW4 can inhibit cellular functions by binding to RNA and DNA after it has been translocated into the cell, resulting in the eradication of C. albicans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gopal Ramamourthy
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; (G.R.); (H.J.V.)
- Department of Biomedical Science and BK21-Plus Research Team for Bioactive Control Technology, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea
| | - Jonggwan Park
- Department of Bioinformatics, Kongju National University, Kongju 38065, Korea; (J.P.); (C.S.)
| | - Changho Seo
- Department of Bioinformatics, Kongju National University, Kongju 38065, Korea; (J.P.); (C.S.)
| | - Hans J. Vogel
- Biochemistry Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; (G.R.); (H.J.V.)
| | - Yoonkyung Park
- Department of Biomedical Science and BK21-Plus Research Team for Bioactive Control Technology, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea
- Research Center for Proteineous Materials, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea
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49
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Heinrich F, Salyapongse A, Kumagai A, Dupuy FG, Shukla K, Penk A, Huster D, Ernst RK, Pavlova A, Gumbart JC, Deslouches B, Di YP, Tristram-Nagle S. Synergistic Biophysical Techniques Reveal Structural Mechanisms of Engineered Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides in Lipid Model Membranes. Chemistry 2020; 26:6247-6256. [PMID: 32166806 PMCID: PMC8146162 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202000212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
In the quest for new antibiotics, two novel engineered cationic antimicrobial peptides (eCAPs) have been rationally designed. WLBU2 and D8 (all 8 valines are the d-enantiomer) efficiently kill both Gram-negative and -positive bacteria, but WLBU2 is toxic and D8 nontoxic to eukaryotic cells. We explore protein secondary structure, location of peptides in six lipid model membranes, changes in membrane structure and pore evidence. We suggest that protein secondary structure is not a critical determinant of bactericidal activity, but that membrane thinning and dual location of WLBU2 and D8 in the membrane headgroup and hydrocarbon region may be important. While neither peptide thins the Gram-negative lipopolysaccharide outer membrane model, both locate deep into its hydrocarbon region where they are primed for self-promoted uptake into the periplasm. The partially α-helical secondary structure of WLBU2 in a red blood cell (RBC) membrane model containing 50 % cholesterol, could play a role in destabilizing this RBC membrane model causing pore formation that is not observed with the D8 random coil, which correlates with RBC hemolysis caused by WLBU2 but not by D8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Heinrich
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of, Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA
| | - Aria Salyapongse
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Akari Kumagai
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Fernando G Dupuy
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas (INSIBIO), CONICET-UNT and Instituto de Química Biológica "Dr. Bernabé Bloj", Facultad de Biquímica, Química y Farmacia, UNT, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Karpur Shukla
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Centre for Mathematical Modeling, Flame University, Maharashtra, India
| | - Anja Penk
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Huster
- Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Robert K Ernst
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Anna Pavlova
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - James C Gumbart
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Berthony Deslouches
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Y Peter Di
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Stephanie Tristram-Nagle
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
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50
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Mayandi V, Xi Q, Leng G, Koh SK, Jie T, Barathi VA, Urf Turabe Fazil MH, Somaraju Chalasani ML, Varadarajan J, Ting DSJ, Beuerman RW, Chan LW, Agrawal R, Sebastian B, Zhou L, Verma NK, Lakshminarayanan R. Rational Substitution of ε-Lysine for α-Lysine Enhances the Cell and Membrane Selectivity of Pore-Forming Melittin. J Med Chem 2020; 63:3522-3537. [PMID: 32175733 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Here, we present a rational approach that enhances the membrane selectivity of a prolific pore-forming peptide, melittin, based on experimental observations that the cationic polymer, ε-polylysine, disrupts bacterial membranes with greater affinity over mammalian cells when compared to poly-l-lysine and poly-d-lysine. We systematically replaced three α-lysine residues in melittin with ε-lysine residues and identified key residues that are important for cytotoxicity. We then assessed the antimicrobial properties of the modified peptides which carry two or three ε-lysyl residues. Two modified melittin peptides displayed rapid bactericidal properties against antibiotic-resistant strains, low innate resistance development by pathogenic bacteria, remained nonimmunogenic for T lymphocytes, and increased bioavailability in tear fluids. In proof-of-concept in vivo experiments, one of the peptides was noncytotoxic for ocular surfaces and had comparable antimicrobial efficacy to that of fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The results uncover a simple and potential strategy that can enhance the membrane selectivity of cytolytic peptides by ε-lysylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkatesh Mayandi
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551, Singapore
| | - Qingxiao Xi
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore
| | - Goh Leng
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore
| | - Siew Kwan Koh
- Ocular Proteomics Laboratory, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore
| | - Toh Jie
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore
| | - Veluchamy Amutha Barathi
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore.,Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119077, Singapore.,Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 169857, Singapore
| | - Mobashar Hussain Urf Turabe Fazil
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Clinical Sciences Building, 308232, Singapore
| | - Madhavi Latha Somaraju Chalasani
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Clinical Sciences Building, 308232, Singapore
| | - Jayasudha Varadarajan
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore
| | - Darren Shu Jeng Ting
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore.,Academic Ophthalmology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, U.K
| | - Roger W Beuerman
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore.,Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 169857, Singapore
| | - Lai Wah Chan
- Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, 18 Science Drive, 117543, Singapore
| | - Rupesh Agrawal
- National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, 308433, Singapore
| | - Barkham Sebastian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, 308433, Singapore
| | - Lei Zhou
- Ocular Proteomics Laboratory, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore.,Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119077, Singapore.,Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 169857, Singapore
| | - Navin Kumar Verma
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Clinical Sciences Building, 308232, Singapore.,Skin Research Institute of Singapore, 11 Mandalay Road, Clinical Sciences Building, 308232, Singapore
| | - Rajamani Lakshminarayanan
- Anti-Infectives Research Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, The Academia, 20 College Road, Discovery Tower, 169856, Singapore.,Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 169857, Singapore.,Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, 18 Science Drive, 117543, Singapore
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