1
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Yu S, Jia B, Zhang Y, Yu Y, Pei Z, Ma H. Design, biological characteristics, and antibacterial mechanism of high therapeutic index antimicrobial peptides with PRRP as central axis. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 2024; 77:170-181. [PMID: 38233466 DOI: 10.1038/s41429-023-00697-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
As the important components of biological innate immunity, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were found in a variety of organisms including insects, plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, etc. However, high hemolytic activity, high toxicity, and poor stability of natural AMPs hinder serious their application as therapeutic agents. To overcome these problems, in this study we use PRRP as a central axis, and peptides were designed based on the sequence template XRRXXRXPRRPXRXXRRX-NH2, where X represents a hydrophobic amino acid like Phe (F), Ile (I), Val (V), and Leu (L). The designed peptides LR18, FR18, and IR18 showed effective antimicrobial activity against some Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria, low cytotoxicity to mammalian cells, and had a tendency to form α-helical structures in membrane-mimetic environments. Among them, peptide LR18 (X: L) showed the highest geometric mean average treatment index (GMTI = 42.7) against Gram-negative bacteria, and FR18 (X: L) showed the highest GMTI (22.86) against Gram-positive bacteria. LR18 and FR18 also showed better salt, temperature, pH, and trypsin stability. LR18 and FR18 exert their antimicrobial effects mainly through destroying bacteria cell membrane. Briefly, peptide LR18 and FR18 have the potential to serve as a therapeutic agent to reduce antibiotic resistance owing to its high therapeutic index and great stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Yu
- College of Animal Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun, 130118, PR China
| | - Boyan Jia
- College of Animal Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun, 130118, PR China
| | - Ying Zhang
- College of Animal Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun, 130118, PR China
| | - Yue Yu
- College of Animal Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun, 130118, PR China
| | - Zhihua Pei
- College of Animal Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun, 130118, PR China.
| | - Hongxia Ma
- College of Animal Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun, 130118, PR China.
- College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Xincheng Street No. 2888, Changchun, 130118, PR China.
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2
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Tripathi AK, Desai PP, Tyagi A, Lampe JB, Srivastava Y, Donkor M, Jones HP, Dzyuba SV, Crossley E, Williams NS, Vishwanatha JK. Short peptides based on the conserved regions of MIEN1 protein exhibit anticancer activity by targeting the MIEN1 signaling pathway. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105680. [PMID: 38272230 PMCID: PMC10878790 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105680] [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: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Migration and invasion enhancer 1 (MIEN1) overexpression characterizes several cancers and facilitates cancer cell migration and invasion. Leveraging conserved immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif and prenylation motifs within MIEN1, we identified potent anticancer peptides. Among them, bioactive peptides LA3IK and RP-7 induced pronounced transcriptomic and protein expression changes at sub-IC50 concentrations. The peptides effectively inhibited genes and proteins driving cancer cell migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathways, concurrently suppressing epidermal growth factor-induced nuclear factor kappa B nuclear translocation in metastatic breast cancer cells. Specifically, peptides targeted the same signal transduction pathway initiated by MIEN1. Molecular docking and CD spectra indicated the formation of MIEN1-peptide complexes. The third-positioned isoleucine in LA3IK and CVIL motif in RP-7 were crucial for inhibiting breast cancer cell migration. This is evident from the limited migration inhibition observed when MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with scrambled peptides LA3IK SCR and RP-7 SCR. Additionally, LA3IK and RP-7 effectively suppressed tumor growth in an orthotopic breast cancer model. Notably, mice tolerated high intraperitoneal (ip) peptide doses of 90 mg/Kg well, surpassing significantly lower doses of 5 mg/Kg intravenously (iv) and 30 mg/Kg intraperitoneally (ip) used in both in vivo pharmacokinetic studies and orthotopic mouse model assays. D-isomers of LA3IK and RP-7 showed enhanced anticancer activity compared to their L-isomers. D-LA3IK remained stable in mouse plasma for 24 h with 75% remaining, exhibiting superior pharmacokinetic properties over D/L-RP-7. In summary, our findings mark the first report of short peptides based on MIEN1 protein sequence capable of inhibiting cancer signaling pathways, effectively impeding cancer progression both in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit K Tripathi
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
| | - Priyanka P Desai
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Antariksh Tyagi
- Yale Center for Genome Analysis (YCGA), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jana B Lampe
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Yogesh Srivastava
- Department of Genetics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Michael Donkor
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Harlan P Jones
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Sergei V Dzyuba
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
| | - Eric Crossley
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Noelle S Williams
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Jamboor K Vishwanatha
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
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3
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Copling A, Akantibila M, Kumaresan R, Fleischer G, Cortes D, Tripathi RS, Carabetta VJ, Vega SL. Recent Advances in Antimicrobial Peptide Hydrogels. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:7563. [PMID: 37108725 PMCID: PMC10139150 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in the number and type of available biomaterials have improved medical devices such as catheters, stents, pacemakers, prosthetic joints, and orthopedic devices. The introduction of a foreign material into the body comes with a risk of microbial colonization and subsequent infection. Infections of surgically implanted devices often lead to device failure, which leads to increased patient morbidity and mortality. The overuse and improper use of antimicrobials has led to an alarming rise and spread of drug-resistant infections. To overcome the problem of drug-resistant infections, novel antimicrobial biomaterials are increasingly being researched and developed. Hydrogels are a class of 3D biomaterials consisting of a hydrated polymer network with tunable functionality. As hydrogels are customizable, many different antimicrobial agents, such as inorganic molecules, metals, and antibiotics have been incorporated or tethered to them. Due to the increased prevalence of antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are being increasingly explored as alternative agents. AMP-tethered hydrogels are being increasingly examined for antimicrobial properties and practical applications, such as wound-healing. Here, we provide a recent update, from the last 5 years of innovations and discoveries made in the development of photopolymerizable, self-assembling, and AMP-releasing hydrogels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryanna Copling
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biosciences, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA;
| | - Maxwell Akantibila
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (M.A.); (G.F.); (D.C.); (R.S.T.)
| | - Raaha Kumaresan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA;
| | - Gilbert Fleischer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (M.A.); (G.F.); (D.C.); (R.S.T.)
| | - Dennise Cortes
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (M.A.); (G.F.); (D.C.); (R.S.T.)
| | - Rahul S. Tripathi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (M.A.); (G.F.); (D.C.); (R.S.T.)
| | - Valerie J. Carabetta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA; (M.A.); (G.F.); (D.C.); (R.S.T.)
| | - Sebastián L. Vega
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA;
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ 08103, USA
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4
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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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5
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Hatlem D, Christensen M, Broeker NK, Kristiansen PE, Lund R, Barbirz S, Linke D. A trimeric coiled-coil motif binds bacterial lipopolysaccharides with picomolar affinity. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1125482. [PMID: 36875521 PMCID: PMC9978483 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1125482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
α-helical coiled-coils are ubiquitous protein structures in all living organisms. For decades, modified coiled-coils sequences have been used in biotechnology, vaccine development, and biochemical research to induce protein oligomerization, and form self-assembled protein scaffolds. A prominent model for the versatility of coiled-coil sequences is a peptide derived from the yeast transcription factor, GCN4. In this work, we show that its trimeric variant, GCN4-pII, binds bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from different bacterial species with picomolar affinity. LPS molecules are highly immunogenic, toxic glycolipids that comprise the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Using scattering techniques and electron microscopy, we show how GCN4-pII breaks down LPS micelles in solution. Our findings suggest that the GCN4-pII peptide and derivatives thereof could be used for novel LPS detection and removal solutions with high relevance to the production and quality control of biopharmaceuticals and other biomedical products, where even minuscule amounts of residual LPS can be lethal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hatlem
- Institutt for Biovitenskap, Universitetet i Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Nina K. Broeker
- Department Humanmedizin, HMU Health and Medical University, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Reidar Lund
- Kjemisk Institutt, Universitetet i Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stefanie Barbirz
- Department Humanmedizin, HMU Health and Medical University, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Dirk Linke
- Institutt for Biovitenskap, Universitetet i Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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6
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Bischetti M, Alaimo N, Nardelli F, Punzi P, Amariei C, Ingenito R, Musco G, Gallo M, Cicero DO. Structural insights on the selective interaction of the histidine-rich piscidin antimicrobial peptide Of-Pis1 with membranes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2023; 1865:184080. [PMID: 36328080 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2022.184080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Of-Pis1 is a potent piscidin antimicrobial peptide (AMP), recently isolated from rock bream (Oplegnathus fasciatus). This rich in histidines and glycines 24-amino acid peptide displays high and broad antimicrobial activity and no significant hemolytic toxicity against human erythrocytes, suggesting low toxicity. To better understand the mechanism of action of Of-Pis1 and its potential selectivity, using NMR and CD spectroscopies, we studied the interaction with eukaryotic and procaryotic membranes and membrane models. Anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) micelles were used to mimic procaryotic membranes, while zwitterionic dodecyl phosphocholine (DPC) was used as eukaryotic membrane surrogate. In an aqueous environment, Of-Pis1 adopts a flexible random coil conformation. In DPC and SDS instead, the N-terminal region of Of-Pis1 forms an amphipathic α-helix with the non-polar face in close contact with the micelles. Slower solvent exchange and higher pKas of the histidine residues in SDS than in DPC suggest that Of-Pis1 interacts more tightly with SDS. Of-Pis1 also binds tightly and structurally perturbs LPS micelles. Of-Pis1 interacts with both Escherichia coli and mammalian cell membranes, but only in the presence of Escherichia coli membranes it populates the helical conformation. Furthermore, ligand-based NMR experiments support a tighter and more specific interaction with bacterial than with eukaryotic membranes. Overall, these data clearly show the selective interaction of this broadly active AMP with bacterial over eukaryotic membranes. The conformational information is discussed in terms of Of-Pis1 amino acid sequence and composition to provide insights useful to design more potent and selective AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Bischetti
- Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Nadine Alaimo
- Structural Biology and Computational Chemistry, IRBM SpA, Via Pontina Km 30 600, 00 071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Nardelli
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, I.R.C.C.S. Ospedale San Raffaele, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Pasqualina Punzi
- Peptides Chemistry Unit, IRBM SpA, Via Pontina Km 30 600, 00 071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristi Amariei
- Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaele Ingenito
- Peptides Chemistry Unit, IRBM SpA, Via Pontina Km 30 600, 00 071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovana Musco
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, I.R.C.C.S. Ospedale San Raffaele, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Mariana Gallo
- Structural Biology and Computational Chemistry, IRBM SpA, Via Pontina Km 30 600, 00 071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Daniel Oscar Cicero
- Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
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7
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Chen X, Wu X, Wang S. An optimized antimicrobial peptide analog acts as an antibiotic adjuvant to reverse methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. NPJ Sci Food 2022; 6:57. [PMID: 36509755 PMCID: PMC9744894 DOI: 10.1038/s41538-022-00171-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The misuse of antibiotics in animal protein production has driven the emergence of a range of drug-resistant pathogens, which threaten existing public health security. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop novel antimicrobials and new infection treatment options to address the challenges posed by the dramatic spread of antibiotic resistance. Piscidins, a class of fish-specific antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), are regarded as promising therapies for biomedical applications. Progress towards potential analogs from the piscidin family has been hampered by unenforceable structural optimization strategies. Here, we leverage a strategy of bioinformatics analysis combined with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to identify specific functional hotspots in piscidins and rationally design related analogues. As expected, this approach yields a potent and non-toxic PIS-A-1 that can be used as an antibiotic adjuvant to reverse methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pathogens. Remarkably, the structural optimization scheme and application strategy proposed here will contribute richer therapeutic options for the safe production of animal protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Chen
- grid.411604.60000 0001 0130 6528College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108 China ,grid.411604.60000 0001 0130 6528College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108 China
| | - Xiaoping Wu
- grid.411604.60000 0001 0130 6528College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108 China ,grid.411604.60000 0001 0130 6528College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108 China
| | - Shaoyun Wang
- grid.411604.60000 0001 0130 6528College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108 China
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8
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Tripathi AK, Vishwanatha JK. Role of Anti-Cancer Peptides as Immunomodulatory Agents: Potential and Design Strategy. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14122686. [PMID: 36559179 PMCID: PMC9781574 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14122686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The usage of peptide-based drugs to combat cancer is gaining significance in the pharmaceutical industry. The collateral damage caused to normal cells due to the use of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc. has given an impetus to the search for alternative methods of cancer treatment. For a long time, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been shown to display anticancer activity. However, the immunomodulatory activity of anti-cancer peptides has not been researched very extensively. The interconnection of cancer and immune responses is well-known. Hence, a search and design of molecules that can show anti-cancer and immunomodulatory activity can be lead molecules in this field. A large number of anti-cancer peptides show good immunomodulatory activity by inhibiting the pro-inflammatory responses that assist cancer progression. Here, we thoroughly review both the naturally occurring and synthetic anti-cancer peptides that are reported to possess both anti-cancer and immunomodulatory activity. We also assess the structural and biophysical parameters that can be utilized to improve the activity. Both activities are mostly reported by different groups, however, we discuss them together to highlight their interconnection, which can be used in the future to design peptide drugs in the field of cancer therapeutics.
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9
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Robles-Loaiza AA, Pinos-Tamayo EA, Mendes B, Ortega-Pila JA, Proaño-Bolaños C, Plisson F, Teixeira C, Gomes P, Almeida JR. Traditional and Computational Screening of Non-Toxic Peptides and Approaches to Improving Selectivity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:323. [PMID: 35337121 PMCID: PMC8953747 DOI: 10.3390/ph15030323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptides have positively impacted the pharmaceutical industry as drugs, biomarkers, or diagnostic tools of high therapeutic value. However, only a handful have progressed to the market. Toxicity is one of the main obstacles to translating peptides into clinics. Hemolysis or hemotoxicity, the principal source of toxicity, is a natural or disease-induced event leading to the death of vital red blood cells. Initial screenings for toxicity have been widely evaluated using erythrocytes as the gold standard. More recently, many online databases filled with peptide sequences and their biological meta-data have paved the way toward hemolysis prediction using user-friendly, fast-access machine learning-driven programs. This review details the growing contributions of in silico approaches developed in the last decade for the large-scale prediction of erythrocyte lysis induced by peptides. After an overview of the pharmaceutical landscape of peptide therapeutics, we highlighted the relevance of early hemolysis studies in drug development. We emphasized the computational models and algorithms used to this end in light of historical and recent findings in this promising field. We benchmarked seven predictors using peptides from different data sets, having 7-35 amino acids in length. According to our predictions, the models have scored an accuracy over 50.42% and a minimal Matthew's correlation coefficient over 0.11. The maximum values for these statistical parameters achieved 100.0% and 1.00, respectively. Finally, strategies for optimizing peptide selectivity were described, as well as prospects for future investigations. The development of in silico predictive approaches to peptide toxicity has just started, but their important contributions clearly demonstrate their potential for peptide science and computer-aided drug design. Methodology refinement and increasing use will motivate the timely and accurate in silico identification of selective, non-toxic peptide therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto A. Robles-Loaiza
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena 150150, Ecuador; (A.A.R.-L.); (B.M.); (J.A.O.-P.); (C.P.-B.)
| | - Edgar A. Pinos-Tamayo
- Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Centro Nacional de Acuicultura e Investigaciones Marinas (CENAIM), Campus Gustavo Galindo Km. 30, 5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 09-01-5863, Ecuador;
| | - Bruno Mendes
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena 150150, Ecuador; (A.A.R.-L.); (B.M.); (J.A.O.-P.); (C.P.-B.)
| | - Josselyn A. Ortega-Pila
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena 150150, Ecuador; (A.A.R.-L.); (B.M.); (J.A.O.-P.); (C.P.-B.)
| | - Carolina Proaño-Bolaños
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena 150150, Ecuador; (A.A.R.-L.); (B.M.); (J.A.O.-P.); (C.P.-B.)
| | - Fabien Plisson
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad (Langebio), Centro de Investigación Y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Irapuato 36824, Mexico;
| | - Cátia Teixeira
- Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; (C.T.); (P.G.)
| | - Paula Gomes
- Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal; (C.T.); (P.G.)
| | - José R. Almeida
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena 150150, Ecuador; (A.A.R.-L.); (B.M.); (J.A.O.-P.); (C.P.-B.)
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10
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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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11
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Yadav V, Misra R. A review emphasizing on utility of heptad repeat sequence as a tool to design pharmacologically safe peptide-based antibiotics. Biochimie 2021; 191:126-139. [PMID: 34492334 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Extensive usage of antibiotics has created an unprecedented scenario of the rapid emergence of many drug-resistant bacteria, which has become an alarming public health concern around the globe. Search for better alternatives that are as efficacious as antibiotics led to the discovery of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). These small cationic amphiphilic peptides have emerged as a promising option as antimicrobial agents, owing to their multifaceted implications against varied pathogens. Recent years have witnessed tremendous growth in research on AMPs resulting in them being tested in clinical trials of which six got approved for topical application. The relatively less successful outcome has been attributed to the poor cell selectivity shown by most of the naturally occurring AMPs. This drawback needs to be circumvented by identifying strategies to design safe and effective peptides. In the present review, we have emphasized the importance of heptad repeat sequence (leucine and/or phenylalanine zipper motif) as a tool that has shown great promise in remodeling the toxic AMPs to safe antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Yadav
- Department of Translational Medicine, Clinical Research Centre, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden; Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA), University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium.
| | - Richa Misra
- Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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12
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Wani NA, Ben Hur D, Kapach G, Stolovicki E, Rotem E, Shai Y. Switching Bond: Generation of New Antimicrobial Peptides via the Incorporation of an Intramolecular Isopeptide Bond. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:1702-1712. [PMID: 34043312 PMCID: PMC8634383 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which
can be modified to kill a
broad spectrum of microoganisms or a specific microorganism, are considered
as promising alternatives to combat the rapidly widespread, resistant
bacterial infections. However, there are still several obstacles to
overcome. These include toxicity, stability, and the ability to interfere
with the immune response and bacterial resistance. To overcome these
challenges, we herein replaced the regular peptide bonds with isopeptide
bonds to produce new AMPs based on the well-known synthetic peptides
Amp1L and MSI-78 (pexiganan). Two new peptides Amp1EP and MSIEP were
generated while retaining properties such as size, sequence, charge,
and molecular weight. These new peptides have reduced toxicity toward
murine macrophage (RAW 264.7) cells, human monocytic (THP-1) cells,
and human red blood cells (hRBCs) and enhanced the stability toward
proteolytic degradation. Importantly, the new peptides do not repress
the pro-inflammatory cytokine and hence should not modulate the immune
response. Structurally, the new peptides, Amp1EP and MSIEP, have a
structure of random coils in contrast to the helical structures of
the parental peptides as revealed by circular dichroism (CD) analysis.
Their mode of action, assessed by flow cytometry, includes permeabilization
of the bacterial membrane. Overall, we present here a new approach
to modulate AMPs to develop antimicrobial peptides for future therapeutic
purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naiem Ahmad Wani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Daniel Ben Hur
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Gal Kapach
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Elad Stolovicki
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Etai Rotem
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Yechiel Shai
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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13
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Ni C, Wang X, Chen J, Xu S, Ye W, Hong M. Leucine heptad motifs within transmembrane domains affect function and oligomerization of human organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2021; 1863:183554. [PMID: 33428894 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2021.183554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs) are transmembrane proteins responsible for the uptake of a wide range of endogenous compounds and clinically important drugs. The liver-specific OATP1B1 serves crucial roles in the removal of many orally administered drugs. The proper function of the transporter hence is essential for the pharmacokinetics of various therapeutic agents. Membrane proteins tend to form oligomers that are important for their stability, targeting and/or interactions with the substrates. Previous study in our laboratory revealed that OATP1B1 may form homo-oligomers and that a GXXXG motif localized at transmembrane domain 8 (TM8) may affect its oligomerization. In the current study, three short-form leucine heptad repeats within the transmembrane domains of OATP1B1 were investigated. It was found that the disruption of leucine heptad repeats within TM3 dramatically reduced the uptake function and protein-protein association of OATP1B1; while within TM8, only L378 is essential for the function of OATP1B1 and alanine replacement of L378 exhibited no effect on the oligomerization. The fragmental expression of TM3 interfered with the association of OATP1B1 homo-oligomers as well as its association with OATP1B3, which is also selectively expressed at human hepatocytes, suggesting that the region may be shared by both transporters for their protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunxu Ni
- College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuyang Wang
- College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie Chen
- College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Su Xu
- College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenjing Ye
- College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mei Hong
- College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Function and Regulation in Agricultural Organisms, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
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14
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Dicentracin-Like from Asian sea bass Fish and Moronecidine-Like from Hippocampus Comes: Two Candidate Antimicrobial Peptides Against Leishmanina major Infection. Int J Pept Res Ther 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-020-10125-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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15
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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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16
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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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17
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High Cell Selectivity and Bactericidal Mechanism of Symmetric Peptides Centered on d-Pro-Gly Pairs. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21031140. [PMID: 32046328 PMCID: PMC7037546 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21031140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have a unique action mechanism that can help to solve global problems in antibiotic resistance. However, their low therapeutic index and poor stability seriously hamper their development as therapeutic agents. In order to overcome these problems, we designed peptides based on the sequence template XXRXXRRzzRRXXRXX-NH2, where X represents a hydrophobic amino acid like Phe (F), Ile (I), and Leu (L), while zz represents Gly-Gly (GG) or d-Pro-Gly (pG). Showing effective antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria and low toxicity, designed peptides had a tendency to form an α-helical structure in membrane-mimetic environments. Among them, peptide LRpG (X: L, zz: pG) showed the highest geometric mean average treatment index (GMTI = 73.1), better salt, temperature and pH stability, and an additive effect with conventional antibiotics. Peptide LRpG played the role of anti-Gram-negative bacteria through destroying the cell membrane. In addition, peptide LRpG also exhibited an anti-inflammatory activity by effectively neutralizing endotoxin. Briefly, peptide LRpG has the potential to serve as a therapeutic agent to reduce antibiotic resistance owing to its high therapeutic index and great stability.
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18
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Hu H, Guo N, Chen S, Guo X, Liu X, Ye S, Chai Q, Wang Y, Liu B, He Q. Antiviral activity of Piscidin 1 against pseudorabies virus both in vitro and in vivo. Virol J 2019; 16:95. [PMID: 31366370 PMCID: PMC6670175 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-019-1199-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Swine-origin virus infection spreading widely could cause significant economic loss to porcine industry. Novel antiviral agents need to be developed to control this situation. Methods In this study, we evaluated the activities of five broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against several important swine-origin pathogenic viruses by TCID50 assay. Plaque reduction assay and cell apoptosis assay were also used to test the activity of the peptides. Protection effect of piscidin against pseudorabies virus (PRV) was also examined in mouse model. Results Piscidin (piscidin 1), caerin (caerin 1.1) and maculatin (maculatin 1.1) could inhibit PRV by direct interaction with the virus particles in a dose-dependent manner and they could also protect the cells from PRV-induced apoptosis. Among the peptides tested, piscidin showed the strongest activity against PRV. Moreover, in vivo assay showed that piscidin can reduce the mortality of mice infected with PRV. Conclusion In vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that piscidin has antiviral activity against PRV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Hubei Provincial Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation, College of Bioengineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Nan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shuhua Chen
- Pig health substantial innovation center, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiaozhen Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiaoli Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shiyi Ye
- Pig health substantial innovation center, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qingqing Chai
- Feinberg school of medicine, northwestern university, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Hubei Provincial Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation, College of Bioengineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Binlei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Hubei Provincial Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation, College of Bioengineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, 430068, China
| | - Qigai He
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China. .,Pig health substantial innovation center, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
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19
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Juretić D, Simunić J. Design of α-helical antimicrobial peptides with a high selectivity index. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2019; 14:1053-1063. [DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2019.1642322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Davor Juretić
- Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences, Split, Croatia
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Split, Split, Croatia
| | - Juraj Simunić
- Division of molecular biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
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20
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Taheri B, Mohammadi M, Momenzadeh N, Farshadzadeh Z, Roozbehani M, Dehghani P, Hajian S, Darvishi S, Shamseddin J. Substitution of lysine for isoleucine at the center of the nonpolar face of the antimicrobial peptide, piscidin-1, leads to an increase in the rapidity of bactericidal activity and a reduction in toxicity. Infect Drug Resist 2019; 12:1629-1647. [PMID: 31354312 PMCID: PMC6585414 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s195872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: Piscidin-1 is an effective antimicrobial peptide (AMP) against a variety of microbes. However, its toxicity has been reported as a limitation for its potential therapeutic applications. The toxicity of piscidin-1 may be related to the long nonpolar face of this AMP. Here, we investigated different piscidin-1 analogs to reach a peptide with the reduced toxicity. Material and methods: In vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity and toxicity of piscidin-1 analogs generated by replacement of isoleucine at the border (I9) or the center (I16) of the nonpolar face of piscidin-1 by alanine or lysine were investigated. Results: The results indicated that among all peptides, piscidin-1 with the highest HPLC retention time (RT) and I16K-piscidin-1 with the lowest RT had the highest and lowest cytotoxicity, respectively. Although I16K-piscidin-1 possessed the same MIC value as the parent peptide (piscidin-1) and other analogs, I16K-piscidin-1 exhibited a higher rapidity of bactericidal action at 5×MIC. The β-galactosidase leakage and propidium iodide staining assays indicated a higher pore-forming capacity of I16K-piscidin-1 relative to the parent peptide (piscidin-1). Taken together, RT is suggested to have a direct association with the toxicity and an inverse association with the rapidity of bactericidal action and pore-forming capacity. After infection of mice with clinical colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii or clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, treatment with I16K-piscidin-1, but not piscidin-1 and other analogs, resulted in a significantly stronger bactericidal potency. Furthermore, I16K-piscidin-1 exhibited the lowest in vivo toxicity. Conclusion: Overall, in vitro and in vivo comparison of piscidin-1 and its analogs together documented that replacement of isoleucine at the center of the nonpolar face of piscidin-1(I16) by lysine leads to not only a decrease in toxicity potential but also an increase in bactericidal potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behrouz Taheri
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.,Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mohsen Mohammadi
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Niloofar Momenzadeh
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Zahra Farshadzadeh
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.,Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mona Roozbehani
- Department of Medical Parasitology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parva Dehghani
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Sobhan Hajian
- Student Research Committee, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Sadegh Darvishi
- Student Research Committee, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Jebreil Shamseddin
- Infection and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
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21
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Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based method development and validation of S016-1271 (LR8P), a novel cationic antimicrobial peptide for its application to pharmacokinetic studies. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2019; 169:116-126. [PMID: 30851514 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2019.01.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Revised: 12/31/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
S016-1271 (LR8P) is a broad spectrum novel cationic antimicrobial peptide. The objective of the present study was to develop a selective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based bioanalytical method of S016-1271 peptide in mice and human plasma in order to uncover its pharmacokinetic aspects. The chromatographic separation of S016-1271 (FR8P as internal standard) was achieved on a Waters™ X select CSH-C18 column (75 × 3.0 mm, 2.5 μ) using mixture of acetonitrile and triple distilled water (TDW) both containing 0.05% formic acid as mobile phase. A seven minute linear gradient method was designed to separate analytes from ion suppression at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The extraction of analytes from mice and human plasma was performed through solid phase extraction technique using mixed mode weak cation exchange cartridge (Thermo SOLA WCX 10 mg 1CC) with an extraction recovery of analytes about 75%. Mass spectrometric detection of S016-1271 and FR8P was performed with optimized multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions (Q1/Q3) at 658.8 [M+3H] 3+/653.2 [M+3H-NH3] 3+ and 443.4 [M+5H]5+ /434.7 [y12-NH3]4+,respectively in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode. The linearity in mice and human plasma was established over a concentration range of 7.81-250 ng/mL with regression coefficient (r2 > 0.99). The currently developed method was validated as per US-FDA guidelines and found to be within the acceptable limits. The method was successfully applied to intravenous (IV) pharmacokinetic study in mice wherein the levels were detected upto 24 h. The peptide demonstrated poor distribution characteristics which were demonstrated through volume of distribution at steady state (202.71 ± 47.02 mL/kg less than total body water of mice; 580 mL/kg). The clearance of the peptide predominantly occurred through central compartment (central clearance is 25 fold greater than peripheral clearance). Also, the in vitro pharmacokinetic studies demonstrated the stability of S016-1271 in plasma and high plasma protein binding in mice and humans.
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22
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Mohammadi M, Taheri B, Momenzadeh N, Salarinia R, Nabipour I, Farshadzadeh Z, Bargahi A. Identification and Characterization of Novel Antimicrobial Peptide from Hippocampus comes by In Silico and Experimental Studies. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2018; 20:718-728. [PMID: 30039186 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-018-9843-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted attentions as a novel antimicrobial agent because of their unique activity against microbes. In the present study, we described a new, previously unreported AMP, moronecidin-like peptide, from Hippocampus comes and compared its antimicrobial activity with moronecidin from hybrid striped bass. Antibacterial assay indicated that gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to moronecidin and moronecidin-like compared with gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, both AMPs were found to exhibit effective antifungal activity. Comparative analysis of the antimicrobial activity revealed that moronecidin-like peptide has higher activity against Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus epidermidis relative to moronecidin. Both moronecidin-like and moronecidin peptides retained their antibacterial activity in physiological pH and salt concentration. The time-killing assay showed that the AMPs completely killed A. baumannii and S. epidermidis isolates after 1 and 5 h at five- and tenfold above their corresponding MICs, respectively. Anti-biofilm assay demonstrated that peptides were able to inhibit 50% of biofilm formation at sub-MIC of 1/8 MIC. Furthermore, moronecidin-like significantly inhibited biofilm formation more than moronecidin at 1/16 MIC. Collectively, our results revealed that antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities of moronecidin-like are comparable to moronecidin. In addition, the hemolytic and cytotoxic activities of moronecidin-like were lower than those of moronecidin, suggesting it as a potential novel therapeutic agent, and a template to design new therapeutic AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Mohammadi
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem Street, Bushehr, 7514633196, Iran.
| | - Behrouz Taheri
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Niloofar Momenzadeh
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem Street, Bushehr, 7514633196, Iran
| | - Reza Salarinia
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Molecular Sciences, School of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
| | - Iraj Nabipour
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem Street, Bushehr, 7514633196, Iran
| | - Zahra Farshadzadeh
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Afshar Bargahi
- The Persian Gulf Marine Biotechnology Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem Street, Bushehr, 7514633196, Iran
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Identification of novel antimicrobial peptide from Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer) by in silico and activity characterization. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206578. [PMID: 30365554 PMCID: PMC6203393 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The global crisis of antibiotic resistance increases the demand for the new promising alternative drugs such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Accordingly, we have described a new, previously unrecognized effective AMP, named dicentracin-like, from Asian sea bass and characterized its antimicrobial activity by comparison with moronecidin. Methodology/ Results Gene expression analysis demonstrated the expression of dicentracin-like peptide in tissues of the immune system such as the skin and the head kidney, which is an important endocrine and lymphoid organ. Moronecidin and dicentracin-like exhibited a higher antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria relative to gram-negative ones, while both peptides showed a greater binding ability to gram-negative bacteria compared to gram-positive ones. This contradiction between antibacterial activity and binding affinity may be related to the outer membrane from gram-negative bacteria. Compared with moronecidin, dicentracin-like peptide showed more potent binding ability to all gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. In addition, dicentracin-like peptide exhibited a high antibacterial activity against the investigated microorganisms, except against Staphylococcus aureus. A direct relationship was found between the binding affinity/cationicity and the antibiofilm activity of the peptides wherein, an elevation in pH corresponded to a decrease in their antibiofilm property. Time-kill kinetics analysis against clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolate indicated that bactericidal effect of dicentracin-like and moronecidin at inhibitory concentration (1XMIC) was observed after 4 and 6 hours, respectively, while bactericidal effect of both AMPs at concentration of 2XMIC was observed after 2 hours. Dicentracin-like peptide showed higher inhibitory activity at subinhibitory concentration (1/2XMIC), relative to moronecidin. Compared with moronecidin, dicentracin-like peptide possessed greater binding affinity to bacteria at high salt concentration, as well as at alkaline pH; In addition, dicentracin-like exhibited a higher antibiofilm activity in comparison to moronecidin even at alkaline pH. Hemolytic analysis against human RBC revealed that hemolytic activity of moronecidin was more potent than that of dicentracin-like, which is consistent with its greater non-polar face hydrophobicity. Conclusions In the present study, In Silico comparative sequence analysis and antimicrobial characterization led to identify a new, previously unrecognized antimicrobial function for named dicentracin-like peptide by comparison with moronecidin, representing a possible template for designing new effective AMPs and improving known ones.
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24
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Lei Z, Liu Q, Zhu Q, Yang B, Khaliq H, Sun A, Qi Y, Moku GK, Su Y, Wang J, Cao J, He Q. Comparative Pharmacokinetics and Preliminary Pharmacodynamics Evaluation of Piscidin 1 Against PRV and PEDV in Rats. Front Chem 2018; 6:244. [PMID: 29988520 PMCID: PMC6026642 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptide (Piscidin-1) is an effective natural polypeptide, which has great influence and potential on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and pseudorabies virus (PRV). As an alternative antibiotic substitute, Piscidin-1 was subjected for pharmacokinetics study with three administration routes (i.v, i.m, and p.o) after a single dose of 2 mg/kg in rats and preliminary pharmacodynamics including antiviral activity in cell against PEDV and PRV. Based on 50 percent tissue culture infective dose (TCID50), there were about 2 and 10% virus survived ratios for Piscidin-1 against PRV and PEDV, respectively. The plaque test showed 1 and 2 μg/ml Piscidin-1 could eliminate 95% PRV and 85% PEDV, respectively. The main pharmacokinetics parameters of Cmax, AUC0−∞, Ke, t1/2, Tmax, MRT, and Clb in plasma were not applicable value, 25.9 μg*h/ml, 0.041 h−1, 16.97 h, not available value, 22.77 h, 0.067 L/h*kg after i.v administration, 2.37 μg/ml, 18.95 μg*h/ml, 0.029 h−1, 23.50 h, 0.33 h, 30.12 h, 0.095 L/h*kg after i.m administration and 0.73 μg/ml, 9.63 μg*h/ml, 0.036 h−1, 19.46 h, 0.50 h, 26.76 h, 0.171 L/h*kg after p.o administration. The bioavailability values after i.m and p.o administrations were calculated as 73.17 and 37.18%, respectively. The i.m administration was selected for pharmacokinetics study in ileum content against PEDV. The main pharmacokinetic parameters of Cmax, AUC0−∞, Ke, t1/2, Tmax, MRT, and Clb in ileum content were 1.67 μg/ml, 78.40 μg*h/ml, 0.034 h−1, 20.16 h, 8.12 h, 36.45 h, 0.026 L/h*kg. The Cmax values in plasma (2.37 μg/ml) and ileum content (1.67 μg/ml) were higher than the effective inhibitory concentration determined in the plaque test, and this indicates that Piscidin-1 might have effective inhibition effect against PRV and PEDV after administration of 2 mg/kg i.m. The results of this study represent the first investigations toward the pharmacokinetic characteristics of piscidin-1 in plasma upon three different administration routes, among which i.m. resulted in the highest bioavailability (73.17%). Furthermore, the pharmacokinetics study of ileum content indicated Piscidin-1 might have good effect against PEDV and could be regarded as an alternative antibiotic in clinical veterinary in the future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixin Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Agriculture Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues and MAO Key Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Qianying Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agriculture Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues and MAO Key Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qianqian Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Agriculture Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Bing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agriculture Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Haseeb Khaliq
- State Key Laboratory of Agriculture Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agriculture Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China.,Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Agriculture Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China
| | - Gopi Krishna Moku
- Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Yafan Su
- Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Jiawei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Jiyue Cao
- Department of Veterinary Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.,National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues and MAO Key Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qigai He
- State Key Laboratory of Agriculture Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agriculture University, Wuhan, China
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Recent Advances in Antibacterial and Antiendotoxic Peptides or Proteins from Marine Resources. Mar Drugs 2018; 16:md16020057. [PMID: 29439417 PMCID: PMC5852485 DOI: 10.3390/md16020057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases caused by Gram-negative bacteria and sepsis induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) pose a major threat to humans and animals and cause millions of deaths each year. Marine organisms are a valuable resource library of bioactive products with huge medicinal potential. Among them, antibacterial and antiendotoxic peptides or proteins, which are composed of metabolically tolerable residues, are present in many marine species, including marine vertebrates, invertebrates and microorganisms. A lot of studies have reported that these marine peptides and proteins or their derivatives exhibit potent antibacterial activity and antiendotoxic activity in vitro and in vivo. However, their categories, heterologous expression in microorganisms, physicochemical factors affecting peptide or protein interactions with bacterial LPS and LPS-neutralizing mechanism are not well known. In this review, we highlight the characteristics and anti-infective activity of bifunctional peptides or proteins from marine resources as well as the challenges and strategies for further study.
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Selective phenylalanine to proline substitution for improved antimicrobial and anticancer activities of peptides designed on phenylalanine heptad repeat. Acta Biomater 2017; 57:170-186. [PMID: 28483698 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2017.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Introducing cell-selectivity in antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) without compromising the antimicrobial and anti-endotoxin properties is a crucial step towards the development of new antimicrobial agents. A peptide designed on phenylalanine heptad repeat possesses significant cytotoxicity along with desired antimicrobial and anti-endotoxin properties. Amino acid substitutions at 'a' and/or 'd' positions of heptad repeats of AMPs could alter their helical structure in mammalian membrane-mimetic environments and cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells. Since proline is a helix breaker, effects of selective proline substitution(s) at 'a' and/or 'd' positions of a 15-residue peptide designed on phenylalanine heptad repeat (FR-15) were investigated. Proline-substituted FR-15 variants were highly selective toward bacteria and fungi over hRBCs and murine 3T3 cells and also retained their antibacterial activities at high salt, serum and elevated temperatures. These non-cytotoxic variants also inhibited LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines in human monocytes, THP-1, RAW 264.7 and in BALB/c mice. The two non-cytotoxic variants (FR8P and FR11P) showed potent anti-cancer activity against highly metastatic human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 with IC50 values less than 10μM. At sub-IC50 concentrations, FR8P and FR11P also showed anti-migratory and anti-invasive effects against MDA-MB-231 cells. FR8P and FR11P induced cellular apoptosis by triggering intrinsic apoptotic pathway through depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspases. Overall the results demonstrated the utilization of selective phenylalanine to proline substitution in a heptad repeat of phenylalanine residues for the design of cell-selective, broad-spectrum AMPs with significant anti-cancer properties. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE We have demonstrated a methodology to design cell-selective potent antimicrobial and anti-endotoxin peptides by utilizing phenylalanine zipper as a template and replacement of phenylalanine residue(s) from "a" and/or "d" position(s) with proline residue(s) produced non-cytotoxic AMPs with improved antibacterial properties against the drug-resistant strains of bacteria. The work showed that the 'a' and 'd' positions of the phenylalanine heptad repeat could be replaced by an appropriate amino acid to control cytotoxicity of the peptide without compromising its potency in antimicrobial and anti-endotoxin properties. The direct bacterial membrane targeting mechanism of proline substituted analogs of parent peptide makes difficult for bacteria to grow resistance against them. The peptides designed could be lead molecules in the area of sepsis as they possess significant anti-LPS activities for in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly since cancer cells and bacterial cell membranes possess the structural resemblances, the cancer cells are also targets for these peptides making them lead molecules in this field. However, unlike in bacteria where the peptides showed membrane permeabilization property to lyse them, the peptides induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells to inhibit their proliferation and growth. The results are significant because it reveals that "a" and "d" positions of a phenylalanine zipper can be utilized as switches to design cell-selective, antimicrobial, anti-endotoxin and anticancer peptides.
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Piscidin-1-analogs with double L- and D-lysine residues exhibited different conformations in lipopolysaccharide but comparable anti-endotoxin activities. Sci Rep 2017; 7:39925. [PMID: 28051162 PMCID: PMC5209718 DOI: 10.1038/srep39925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
To become clinically effective, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) should be non-cytotoxic to host cells. Piscidins are a group of fish-derived AMPs with potent antimicrobial and antiendotoxin activities but limited by extreme cytotoxicity. We conjectured that introduction of cationic residue(s) at the interface of polar and non-polar faces of piscidins may control their insertion into hydrophobic mammalian cell membrane and thereby reducing cytotoxicity. We have designed several novel analogs of piscidin-1 by substituting threonine residue(s) with L and D-lysine residue(s). L/D-lysine-substituted analogs showed significantly reduced cytotoxicity but exhibited either higher or comparable antibacterial activity akin to piscidin-1. Piscidin-1-analogs demonstrated higher efficacy than piscidin-1 in inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory responses in THP-1 cells. T15,21K-piscidin-1 (0.5 mg/Kg) and T15,21dK-piscidin-1 (1.0 mg/Kg) demonstrated 100% survival of LPS (12.0 mg/Kg)-administered mice. High resolution NMR studies revealed that both piscidin-1 and T15,21K-piscidin-1 adopted helical structures, with latter showing a shorter helix, higher amphipathicity and cationic residues placed at optimal distances to form ionic/hydrogen bond with lipid A of LPS. Remarkably, T15,21dK-piscidin-1 showed a helix-loop-helix structure in LPS and its interactions with LPS could be sustained by the distance of separation of side chains of R7 and D-Lys-15 which is close to the inter-phosphate distance of lipid A.
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Modulation of anti-endotoxin property of Temporin L by minor amino acid substitution in identified phenylalanine zipper sequence. Biochem J 2016; 473:4045-4062. [PMID: 27609815 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20160713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A 13-residue frog antimicrobial peptide Temporin L (TempL) possesses versatile antimicrobial activities and is considered a lead molecule for the development of new antimicrobial agents. To find out the amino acid sequences that influence the anti-microbial property of TempL, a phenylalanine zipper-like sequence was identified in it which was not reported earlier. Several alanine-substituted analogs and a scrambled peptide having the same composition of TempL were designed for evaluating the role of this motif. To investigate whether leucine residues instead of phenylalanine residues at 'a' and/or 'd' position(s) of the heptad repeat sequence could alter its antimicrobial property, several TempL analogs were synthesized after replacing these phenylalanine residues with leucine residues. Replacing phenylalanine residues with alanine residues in the phenylalanine zipper sequence significantly compromised the anti-endotoxin property of TempL. This is evident from the higher production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated rat bone-marrow-derived macrophage cells in the presence of its alanine-substituted analogs than TempL itself. However, replacement of these phenylalanine residues with leucine residues significantly augmented anti-endotoxin property of TempL. A single alanine-substituted TempL analog (F8A-TempL) showed significantly reduced cytotoxicity but retained the antibacterial activity of TempL, while the two single leucine-substituted analogs (F5L-TempL and F8L-TempL), although exhibiting lower cytotoxicity, were able to retain the antibacterial activity of the parent peptide. The results demonstrate how minor amino acid substitutions in the identified phenylalanine zipper sequence in TempL could yield analogs with better antibacterial and/or anti-endotoxin properties with their plausible mechanism of action.
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