1
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Haddad H, Tangy F, Ouahchi I, Sahtout W, Ouni B, Zaïri A. Evaluation of the antiviral activity of new dermaseptin analogs against Zika virus. Biochem Biophys Rep 2024; 39:101747. [PMID: 38939125 PMCID: PMC11208914 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2024.101747] [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: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Zika virus represents the primary cause of infection during pregnancy and can lead to various neurological disorders such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome affecting both children and adults. This infection is also associated with urological and nephrological problems. So far, evidence of mosquito-borne Zika virus infection has been reported in a total of 89 countries and territories. However, surveillance efforts primarily concentrate on outbreaks that this virus can cause, yet the measures implemented are typically limited. Currently, there are no specific treatments or vaccines designed for the prevention or treatment of Zika virus infection or its associated disease. The development of effective therapeutic agents presents an urgent need. Importantly, an alternative for advancing the discovery of new molecules could be dermaseptins, a family of antimicrobial peptides known for their potential antiviral properties. In this study, we carried out the synthesis of dermaseptins and their analogs and subsequently assessed the bioactivity tests against Zika virus (ZIKV PF13) of dermaseptins B2 and S4 and their derivatives. The cytotoxicity of these peptides was investigated on HMC3 cell line and HeLa cells by CellTiter-Glo® Luminescent Cell Viability Assay. Thereafter, we evaluated the antiviral activity caused by the action of our dermaseptins on the viral envelope using the Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS). The cytotoxicity of our molecules was concentration-dependent at microgram concentrations Expect for dermaseptin B2 and its derivative which present no toxicity against HeLa and HMC3 cell lines. It was observed that all tested analogs from S4 family exhibited antiviral activity with low concentrations ranging from 3 to 12.5 μg/ml , unlike the native B2 and its derivative which increased the infectivity. Pre-incubating of dermaseptins with ZIKV PF13 before infection revealed that these derivatives inhibit the initial stages of virus infection. In summary, these results suggest that dermaseptins could serve as novel lead structures for the development of potent antiviral agents against Zika virus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houda Haddad
- BIOLIVAL Laboratory, LR14ES06, The Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Monastir ISBM, University of Monastir, Monastir, 5000, Tunisia
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sousse, Sousse, 4002, Tunisia
| | - Frédéric Tangy
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Vaccines-innovation Laboratory, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Ines Ouahchi
- Cytogenetics and Reproductive Biology department, Farhat Hached University Teaching Hospital, University of Sousse, 4000, Sousse, Tunisia
| | - Wissal Sahtout
- Nephrology Department, Sahloul University Hospital, University of Sousse, 4054, Sousse, Tunisia
- Research Laboratory LR12SP11, Biochemistry Department, Sahloul University Hospital, University of Sousse, 4054, Sousse, Tunisia
| | - Bouraoui Ouni
- Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sousse, 4002, ousse, Tunisia
| | - Amira Zaïri
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sousse, Sousse, 4002, Tunisia
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2
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Haddad H, Mejri R, de Araujo AR, Zaïri A. Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of New Dermaseptin Derivatives against Acinetobacter baumannii. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:171. [PMID: 38399385 PMCID: PMC10892451 DOI: 10.3390/ph17020171] [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: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Nosocomial infections represent one of the biggest health problems nowadays. Acinetobacter baumannii is known as an opportunistic pathogen in humans, affecting people with compromised immune systems, and is becoming increasingly important as a hospital-derived infection. It is known that in recent years, more and more bacteria have become multidrug-resistant (MDR) and, for this reason, the development of new drugs is a priority. However, these products must not affect the human body, and therefore, cytotoxicity studies are mandatory. In this context, antimicrobial peptides with potential antibacterial proprieties could be an alternative. In this research, we describe the synthesis and the bioactivity of dermaseptins and their derivatives against Acinetobacter baumannii. The cytotoxicity of these compounds was investigated on the HEp-2 cell line by MTT cell viability assay. Thereafter, we studied the morphological alterations caused by the action of one of the active peptides on the bacterial membrane using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The cytotoxicity of dermaseptins was concentration-dependent at microgram concentrations. It was observed that all tested analogs exhibited antibacterial activity with Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) ranging from 3.125 to 12.5 μg/mL and Minimum Bactericidal Concentrations (MBCs) ranging from 6.25 to 25 μg/mL. Microscopic images obtained by AFM revealed morphological changes on the surface of the treated bacteria caused by K4S4(1-16), as well as significant surface alterations. Overall, these findings demonstrate that dermaseptins might constitute new lead structures for the development of potent antibacterial agents against Acinetobacter baumannii infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houda Haddad
- BIOLIVAL Laboratory, LR14ES06, The Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Monastir ISBM, University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia;
- Biochemistry Department, LR18ES47, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sousse, Sousse 4002, Tunisia;
| | - Radhia Mejri
- Biochemistry Department, LR18ES47, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sousse, Sousse 4002, Tunisia;
| | - Alyne Rodrigues de Araujo
- Biodiversity and Biotechnology Research Center, BIOTEC, Federal University of Piauí, Parnaíba 64202-020, PI, Brazil;
| | - Amira Zaïri
- Biochemistry Department, LR18ES47, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sousse, Sousse 4002, Tunisia;
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3
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Wang X, Yang X, Wang Q, Meng D. Unnatural amino acids: promising implications for the development of new antimicrobial peptides. Crit Rev Microbiol 2023; 49:231-255. [PMID: 35254957 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2022.2047008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The increasing incidence and rapid spread of bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics are a serious global threat to public health, highlighting the need to develop new antimicrobial alternatives. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a class of promising natural antibiotic candidates due to their broad-spectrum activity and low tendency to induce resistance. However, the development of AMPs for medical use is hampered by several obstacles, such as moderate activity, lability to proteolytic degradation, and low bioavailability. To date, many researchers have focussed on the optimization or design of novel artificial AMPs with desired properties. Unnatural amino acids (UAAs) are valuable building blocks in the manufacture of a variety of pharmaceuticals, and have been used to develop artificial AMPs with specific structural and physicochemical properties. Rational incorporation of UAAs has become a very promising approach to endow AMPs with strong and long-lasting activity but no toxicity. This review aims to summarize key approaches that have been used to incorporate UAAs to develop novel AMPs with improved properties and better performance. It is anticipated that this review will guide future design considerations for UAA-based antimicrobial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiaoe Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cosmetic, China National Light Industry, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Demei Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Gasin-DH Preservation Technology Co., Ltd, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
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4
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Escobar V, Scaramozzino N, Vidic J, Buhot A, Mathey R, Chaix C, Hou Y. Recent Advances on Peptide-Based Biosensors and Electronic Noses for Foodborne Pathogen Detection. BIOSENSORS 2023; 13:bios13020258. [PMID: 36832024 PMCID: PMC9954637 DOI: 10.3390/bios13020258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Foodborne pathogens present a serious issue around the world due to the remarkably high number of illnesses they cause every year. In an effort to narrow the gap between monitoring needs and currently implemented classical detection methodologies, the last decades have seen an increased development of highly accurate and reliable biosensors. Peptides as recognition biomolecules have been explored to develop biosensors that combine simple sample preparation and enhanced detection of bacterial pathogens in food. This review first focuses on the selection strategies for the design and screening of sensitive peptide bioreceptors, such as the isolation of natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from living organisms, the screening of peptides by phage display and the use of in silico tools. Subsequently, an overview on the state-of-the-art techniques in the development of peptide-based biosensors for foodborne pathogen detection based on various transduction systems was given. Additionally, limitations in classical detection strategies have led to the development of innovative approaches for food monitoring, such as electronic noses, as promising alternatives. The use of peptide receptors in electronic noses is a growing field and the recent advances of such systems for foodborne pathogen detection are presented. All these biosensors and electronic noses are promising alternatives for the pathogen detection with high sensitivity, low cost and rapid response, and some of them are potential portable devices for on-site analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Escobar
- Grenoble Alpes University, CEA, CNRS, IRIG-SyMMES, 17 Rue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
- Grenoble Alpes University, CNRS, LIPhy, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | | | - Jasmina Vidic
- INRAE, AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Arnaud Buhot
- Grenoble Alpes University, CEA, CNRS, IRIG-SyMMES, 17 Rue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Raphaël Mathey
- Grenoble Alpes University, CEA, CNRS, IRIG-SyMMES, 17 Rue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Carole Chaix
- Institute of Analytical Sciences, University of Lyon, CNRS, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, UMR 5280, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Yanxia Hou
- Grenoble Alpes University, CEA, CNRS, IRIG-SyMMES, 17 Rue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
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5
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Shim JH, Gwak S, Ahn BK, Han H, Hong Y, Shin OS. Investigation of d-Amino Acid-Based Surfactants and Nanocomposites with Gold and Silica Nanoparticles as against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Agents. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:46146-46155. [PMID: 36570237 PMCID: PMC9773340 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
d-amino acid-based surfactants (d-AASs) were synthesized and their antimicrobial activity was evaluated. N-α-lauroyl-d-arginine ethyl ester hydrochloride (d-LAE), d-proline dodecyl ester (d-PD), and d-alanine dodecyl ester (d-AD) were found to have antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, but less efficacy against Gram-negative bacteria. For these reasons, combining antimicrobial agents with nanoparticles is a promising technique for improving their antibacterial properties to eliminate drug-resistant pathogens. d-LAE coated on gold (AuNP) and silica (SiNP) nanoparticles has more efficient antibacterial activity than that of d-LAE alone. However, unlike d-LAE, d-PD has enhanced antibacterial activity upon being coated on AuNP. The antibacterial d-AASs and their nanocomposites with nanoparticles were synthesized in an environmentally friendly manner and are expected to be valuable new antimicrobial agents against multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Ho Shim
- Department
of Anatomy, Korea University College of
Medicine, Seoul 02842, Korea
| | - Sungduk Gwak
- Department
of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
| | - Byung Kook Ahn
- Department
of Anatomy, Korea University College of
Medicine, Seoul 02842, Korea
| | - Hogyu Han
- Department
of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
| | - Yeonsun Hong
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine
Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Ok Sarah Shin
- BK21
Graduate Program, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul 08308, Korea
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6
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Cheng Q, Zeng P. Hydrophobic-hydrophilic Alternation: An effective Pattern to de novo Designed Antimicrobial Peptides. Curr Pharm Des 2022; 28:3527-3537. [PMID: 36056849 DOI: 10.2174/1381612828666220902124856] [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: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The antimicrobial peptide (AMP) is a class of molecules that are active against a variety of microorganisms, from bacterial and cancer cells to fungi. Most AMPs are natural products, as part of an organism's own defense system against harmful microbes. However, the growing prevalence of drug resistance has forced researchers to design more promising engineered antimicrobial agents. Inspired by the amphiphilic detergents, the hydrophobic-hydrophilic alternation pattern was considered to be a simple but effective way to de novo design AMPs. In this model, hydrophobic amino acids (leucine, isoleucine etc.) and hydrophilic amino acids (arginine, lysine etc.) were arranged in an alternating way in the peptide sequence. The majority of this type of peptides have a clear hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface, which allows the molecules to have good solubility in both water and organic solvents. When they come into contact with hydrophobic membranes, many peptides undergo a conformational transformation, facilitating themself to insert into the cellular envelope. Moreover, positive-charged peptide amphiphiles tended to have an affinity with negatively-charged membrane interfaces and further led to envelope damage and cell death. Herein, several typical design patterns have been reviewed. Though varying in amino acid sequence, they all basically follow the rule of alternating arrangement of hydrophilic and hydrophobic residues. Based on that, researchers synthesized some lead compounds with favorable antimicrobial activities and preliminarily investigated their possible mode of action. Besides membrane disruption, these AMPs are proven to kill microbes in multiple mechanisms. These results deepened our understanding of AMPs' design and provided a theoretical basis for constructing peptide candidates with better biocompatibility and therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qipeng Cheng
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Enzymology and Mechanism of Major Diseases, and Key Laboratory of Biomedicine in Gene Diseases and Health of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui, China.,State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery and Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Ping Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery and Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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7
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Anticancer peptides mechanisms, simple and complex. Chem Biol Interact 2022; 368:110194. [PMID: 36195187 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2022.110194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Peptide therapy has started since 1920s with the advent of insulin application, and now it has emerged as a new approach in treatment of diseases including cancer. Using anti-cancer peptides (ACPs) is a promising way of cancer therapy as ACPs are continuing to be approved and arrived at major pharmaceutical markets. Traditional cancer treatments face different problems like intensive adverse effects to patient's body, cell resistance to conventional chemical drugs and in some worse cases the occurrence of cell multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancerous tissues against chemotherapy. On the other hand, there are some benefits conceived for peptides usage in treatment of diseases specifically cancer, as these compounds present favorable characteristics such as smaller size, high activity, low immunogenicity, good biocompatibility in vivo, convenient and rapid way of synthesis, amenable to sequence modification and revision and there is no limitation for the type of cargo they carry. It is possible to achieve an optimum molecular and functional structure of peptides based on previous experience and bank of peptide motif data which may result in novel peptide design. Bioactive peptides are able to form pores in cell membrane and induce necrosis or apoptosis of abnormal cells. Moreover, recent researches have focused on the tumor recognizing peptide motifs with the ability to permeate to cancerous cells with the aim of cancer treatment at earlier stages. In this strategy the most important factors for addressing cancer are choosing peptides with easy accessibility to tumor cell without cytotoxicity effect towards normal cells. The peptides must also meet acceptable pharmacokinetic requirements. In this review, the characteristics of peptides and cancer cells are discussed. The various mechanisms of peptides' action proposed against cancer cells make the next part of discussion. It will be followed by giving information on peptides application, various methods of peptide designing along with introducing various databases. Future aspects of peptides for employing in area of cancer treatment come as conclusion at the end.
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8
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Juretić D. Designed Multifunctional Peptides for Intracellular Targets. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11091196. [PMID: 36139975 PMCID: PMC9495127 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11091196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nature’s way for bioactive peptides is to provide them with several related functions and the ability to cooperate in performing their job. Natural cell-penetrating peptides (CPP), such as penetratins, inspired the design of multifunctional constructs with CPP ability. This review focuses on known and novel peptides that can easily reach intracellular targets with little or no toxicity to mammalian cells. All peptide candidates were evaluated and ranked according to the predictions of low toxicity to mammalian cells and broad-spectrum activity. The final set of the 20 best peptide candidates contains the peptides optimized for cell-penetrating, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activity. Their predicted features are intrinsic disorder and the ability to acquire an amphipathic structure upon contact with membranes or nucleic acids. In conclusion, the review argues for exploring wide-spectrum multifunctionality for novel nontoxic hybrids with cell-penetrating peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davor Juretić
- Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences, 21000 Split, Croatia;
- Faculty of Science, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia;
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9
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Bhat RAH, Thakuria D, Tandel RS, Khangembam VC, Dash P, Tripathi G, Sarma D. Tools and techniques for rational designing of antimicrobial peptides for aquaculture. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 127:1033-1050. [PMID: 35872334 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2022.07.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fisheries and aquaculture industries remain essential sources of food and nutrition for millions of people worldwide. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and posed a severe threat to public health. Researchers have opined that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can be the best possible alternative to curb the rising tide of antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture. AMPs may also help to achieve the objectives of one health approach. The natural AMPs are associated with several shortcomings, like less in vivo stability, toxicity to host cell, high cost of production and low potency in a biological system. In this review, we have provided a comprehensive outline about the strategies for designing synthetic mimics of natural AMPs with high potency. Moreover, the freely available AMP databases and the information about the molecular docking tools are enlisted. We also provided in silico template for rationally designing the AMPs from fish piscidins or other peptides. The rationally designed piscidin (rP1 and rp2) may be used to tackle microbial infections in aquaculture. Further, the protocol can be used to develop the truncated mimics of natural AMPs having more potency and protease stability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dimpal Thakuria
- ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Bhimtal, 263136, Uttarakhand, India
| | | | - Victoria C Khangembam
- ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Bhimtal, 263136, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Pragyan Dash
- ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Bhimtal, 263136, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Gayatri Tripathi
- ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, 400061, Maharashtra, India
| | - Debajit Sarma
- ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research, Bhimtal, 263136, Uttarakhand, India
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10
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Ben Hur D, Kapach G, Wani NA, Kiper E, Ashkenazi M, Smollan G, Keller N, Efrati O, Shai Y. Antimicrobial Peptides against Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm from Cystic Fibrosis Patients. J Med Chem 2022; 65:9050-9062. [PMID: 35759644 PMCID: PMC9289885 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Lung
infection is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality
in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and is mainly dominated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Treatment of CF-associated lung
infections is problematic because the drugs are vulnerable to multidrug-resistant
pathogens, many of which are major biofilm producers like P. aeruginosa. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are essential
components in all life forms and exhibit antimicrobial activity. Here
we investigated a series of AMPs (d,l-K6L9), each composed of six lysines and nine leucines but
differing in their sequence composed of l- and d-amino acids. The d,l-K6L9 peptides showed antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against
P. aeruginosa from CF patients. Furthermore, the
data revealed that the d,l-K6L9 peptides are stable and resistant to degradation by CF sputum proteases
and maintain their activity in a CF sputum environment. Additionally,
the d,l-K6L9 peptides do not
induce bacterial resistance. Overall, these findings should assist
in the future development of alternative treatments against resistant
bacterial biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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
| | - Naiem Ahmad Wani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Edo Kiper
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Moshe Ashkenazi
- Pediatric Pulmonary Institute and National CF Center, Edmond and Lilly Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan 52621, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Gill Smollan
- Microbiology Laboratories, Edmond and Lili Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ariel University, Ramat Gan 52621, Israel
| | - Natan Keller
- The Department of Health Management, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel.,Microbiology Laboratories, Edmond and Lili Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ariel University, Ramat Gan 52621, Israel
| | - Ori Efrati
- Pediatric Pulmonary Institute and National CF Center, Edmond and Lilly Safra Children's Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan 52621, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Yechiel Shai
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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11
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Parchebafi A, Tamanaee F, Ehteram H, Ahmad E, Nikzad H, Haddad Kashani H. The dual interaction of antimicrobial peptides on bacteria and cancer cells; mechanism of action and therapeutic strategies of nanostructures. Microb Cell Fact 2022; 21:118. [PMID: 35717207 PMCID: PMC9206340 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-022-01848-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial infection and cancer are two leading causes of global mortality. Discovering and developing new therapeutics with better specificity having minimal side-effects and no drug resistance are of an immense need. In this regard, cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMP) with dual antimicrobial and anticancer activities are the ultimate choice. For better efficacy and improved stability, the AMPs available for treatment still required to be modified. There are several strategies in which AMPs can be enhanced through, for instance, nano-carrier application with high selectivity and specificity enables researchers to estimate the rate of drug delivery to a particular tissue. In this review we present the biology and modes of action of AMPs for both anticancer and antimicrobial activities as well as some modification strategies to improve the efficacy and selectivity of these AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atefeh Parchebafi
- Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Farzaneh Tamanaee
- Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Hassan Ehteram
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Ejaz Ahmad
- Department of Pathology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Hossein Nikzad
- Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Hamed Haddad Kashani
- Anatomical Sciences Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
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12
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Xiang W, Clemenza P, Klousnitzer J, Chen J, Qin W, Tristram-Nagle S, Doi Y, Di YP, Deslouches B. Rational Framework for the Design of Trp- and Arg-Rich Peptide Antibiotics Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:889791. [PMID: 35694289 PMCID: PMC9186412 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.889791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The threat of antibiotic resistance warrants the discovery of agents with novel antimicrobial mechanisms. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) directly disrupting bacterial membranes may overcome resistance to traditional antibiotics. AMP development for clinical use has been mostly limited to topical application to date. We developed a rational framework for systematically addressing this challenge using libraries composed of 86 novel Trp- and Arg-rich engineered peptides tested against clinical strains of the most common multidrug-resistant bacteria known as ESKAPE pathogens. Structure-function correlations revealed minimum lengths (as low as 16 residues) and Trp positioning for maximum antibacterial potency with mean minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2–4 μM and corresponding negligible toxicity to mammalian cells. Twelve peptides were selected based on broad-spectrum activity against both gram-negative and -positive bacteria and <25% toxicity to mammalian cells at maximum test concentrations. Most of the selected PAX remained active against the colistin-resistant clinical strains. Of the selected peptides, the shortest (the 16-residue E35) was further investigated for antibacterial mechanism and proof-of-concept in vivo efficacy. E35 killed an extensively-resistant isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA239 from the CDC, also resistant to colistin) by irreversibly disrupting the cell membranes as shown by propidium iodide incorporation, using flow cytometry and live cell imaging. As proof of concept, in vivo toxicity studies showed that mice tolerated a systemic dose of up to 30 mg/kg peptide and were protected with a single 5 mg/kg intravenous (IV) dose against an otherwise lethal intraperitoneal injection of PA239. Efficacy was also demonstrated in an immune-compromised Klebsiella pneumoniae infection model using a daily dose of 4mg/kg E35 systemically for 2 days. This framework defines the determinants of efficacy of helical AMPs composed of only cationic and hydrophobic amino acids and provides a path for a potential departure from the restriction to topical use of AMPs toward systemic application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyu Xiang
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Patrice Clemenza
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Jessie Klousnitzer
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Jespar Chen
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Weiheng Qin
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Stephanie Tristram-Nagle
- Biological Physics Group, Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Yohei Doi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Y Peter Di
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Berthony Deslouches
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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13
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Valenti GE, Alfei S, Caviglia D, Domenicotti C, Marengo B. Antimicrobial Peptides and Cationic Nanoparticles: A Broad-Spectrum Weapon to Fight Multi-Drug Resistance Not Only in Bacteria. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23116108. [PMID: 35682787 PMCID: PMC9181033 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23116108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last few years, antibiotic resistance and, analogously, anticancer drug resistance have increased considerably, becoming one of the main public health problems. For this reason, it is crucial to find therapeutic strategies able to counteract the onset of multi-drug resistance (MDR). In this review, a critical overview of the innovative tools available today to fight MDR is reported. In this direction, the use of membrane-disruptive peptides/peptidomimetics (MDPs), such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), has received particular attention, due to their high selectivity and to their limited side effects. Moreover, similarities between bacteria and cancer cells are herein reported and the hypothesis of the possible use of AMPs also in anticancer therapies is discussed. However, it is important to take into account the limitations that could negatively impact clinical application and, in particular, the need for an efficient delivery system. In this regard, the use of nanoparticles (NPs) is proposed as a potential strategy to improve therapy; moreover, among polymeric NPs, cationic ones are emerging as promising tools able to fight the onset of MDR both in bacteria and in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia E. Valenti
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), General Pathology Section, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.E.V.); (B.M.)
| | - Silvana Alfei
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy;
| | - Debora Caviglia
- Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 6, 16132 Genova, Italy;
| | - Cinzia Domenicotti
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), General Pathology Section, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.E.V.); (B.M.)
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Pisa, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-010-353-8830
| | - Barbara Marengo
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), General Pathology Section, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.E.V.); (B.M.)
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Pisa, Italy
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14
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Wani NA, Stolovicki E, Hur DB, Shai Y. Site-Specific Isopeptide Bond Formation: A Powerful Tool for the Generation of Potent and Nontoxic Antimicrobial Peptides. J Med Chem 2022; 65:5085-5094. [PMID: 35290038 PMCID: PMC8958506 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have the potential to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. However, the clinical application of AMPs is prevented by their toxicity and poor proteolytic stability. Here, a site-specific approach is used to generate new AMPs to improve their efficacy against bacterial pathogens while reducing their toxicity. We modified and generated a new series of antimicrobial peptides from the leucine- and lysine-rich antimicrobial peptide Amp1L (LKLLKKLLKKLLKLL) by the site-specific incorporation of an isopeptide bond while retaining the peptide's size, sequence, charge, and molecular weight. This single bond switch provides the peptides with a weak helical conformation, strong antimicrobial activity, resistance to proteolytic degradation, low toxicity, and lower hemolytic activity. This new site-specific approach offers a powerful tool for developing potent and nontoxic antimicrobial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naiem Ahmad Wani
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Elad Stolovicki
- 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
| | - Yechiel Shai
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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15
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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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16
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Kratochvil HT, Newberry RW, Mensa B, Mravic M, DeGrado WF. Spiers Memorial Lecture: Analysis and de novo design of membrane-interactive peptides. Faraday Discuss 2021; 232:9-48. [PMID: 34693965 PMCID: PMC8979563 DOI: 10.1039/d1fd00061f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Membrane-peptide interactions play critical roles in many cellular and organismic functions, including protection from infection, remodeling of membranes, signaling, and ion transport. Peptides interact with membranes in a variety of ways: some associate with membrane surfaces in either intrinsically disordered conformations or well-defined secondary structures. Peptides with sufficient hydrophobicity can also insert vertically as transmembrane monomers, and many associate further into membrane-spanning helical bundles. Indeed, some peptides progress through each of these stages in the process of forming oligomeric bundles. In each case, the structure of the peptide and the membrane represent a delicate balance between peptide-membrane and peptide-peptide interactions. We will review this literature from the perspective of several biologically important systems, including antimicrobial peptides and their mimics, α-synuclein, receptor tyrosine kinases, and ion channels. We also discuss the use of de novo design to construct models to test our understanding of the underlying principles and to provide useful leads for pharmaceutical intervention of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huong T Kratochvil
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Robert W Newberry
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Bruk Mensa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Marco Mravic
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - William F DeGrado
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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17
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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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18
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Yang B, Fang D, Lv Q, Wang Z, Liu Y. Targeted Therapeutic Strategies in the Battle Against Pathogenic Bacteria. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:673239. [PMID: 34054548 PMCID: PMC8149751 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.673239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence and rapid spread of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria constitute a global threat for public health. Despite ongoing efforts to confront this crisis, the pace of finding new potent antimicrobials is far slower than the evolution of drug resistance. The abuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics not only accelerates the formation of resistance but also imposes a burden on the intestinal microbiota, which acts a critical role in human homeostasis. As such, innovative therapeutic strategies with precision are pressingly warranted and highly anticipated. Recently, target therapies have achieved some breakthroughs by the aid of modern technology. In this review, we provide an insightful illustration of current and future medical targeted strategies, including narrow-spectrum agents, engineered probiotics, nanotechnology, phage therapy, and CRISPR-Cas9 technology. We discuss the recent advances and potential hurdles of these strategies. Meanwhile, the possibilities to mitigate the spread of resistance in these approaches are also mentioned. Altogether, a better understanding of the advantages, disadvantages, and mechanisms of action of these targeted therapies will be conducive to broadening our horizons and optimizing the existing antibacterial approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingqing Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Dan Fang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Qingyan Lv
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, The Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, The Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, The Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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19
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Bare Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Carrier for the Short Cationic Peptide Lasioglossin. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14050405. [PMID: 33923229 PMCID: PMC8146918 DOI: 10.3390/ph14050405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
New drug delivery systems are a potential solution for administering drugs to reduce common side effects of traditional methods, such as in cancer therapy. Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs) can increase the drugs’ biological activity through high binding efficiency and magnetically targeted drug delivery. Understanding the adsorption and release process of a drug to the carrier material plays a significant role in research to generate an applicable and controlled drug delivery system. This contribution focuses on the binding patterns of the peptide lasioglossin III from bee venom on bare IONs. Lasioglossin has a high antimicrobial behavior and due to its cationic properties, it has high binding potential. Considering the influence of pH, the buffer type, the particle concentration, and time, the highest drug loading of 22.7% is achieved in phosphate-buffered saline. Analysis of the desorption conditions revealed temperature and salt concentration sensitivity. The nanoparticles and peptide-ION complexes are analyzed with dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, and infrared spectroscopy. Additionally, cytotoxicity experiments performed on Escherichia coli show higher antimicrobial activity of bound lasioglossin than of the free peptide. Therefore, bare IONs are an interesting platform material for the development of drug-delivery carriers for cationic peptides.
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20
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Toledo EB, Lucas DR, Simão TLBV, Calixto SD, Lassounskaia E, Muzitano MF, Damica FZ, Gomes VM, de Oliveira Carvalho A. Design of improved synthetic antifungal peptides with targeted variations in charge, hydrophobicity and chirality based on a correlation study between biological activity and primary structure of plant defensin γ-cores. Amino Acids 2021; 53:219-237. [PMID: 33483849 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-020-02929-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Microbial resistance to available drugs is a growing health threat imposing the need for the development of new drugs. The scaffold of plant defensins, including their γ-cores, are particularly good candidates for drug design. This work aimed to improve the antifungal activity of a previous design peptide, named A36,42,44γ32-46VuDef (for short DD) against yeasts by altering its biochemical parameters. We explore the correlation of the biological activity and structure of plant defensins and compared their primary structures by superimposition with VuDef1 and DD which indicated us the favorable position and the amino acid to be changed. Three new peptides with modifications in charge, hydrophobicity (RR and WR) and chirality (D-RR) were designed and tested against pathogenic yeasts. Inhibition was determined by absorbance. Viability of mammalian cells was determined by MTT. The three designed peptides had better inhibitory activity against the yeasts with better potency and spectrum of yeast species inhibition, with low toxicity to mammalian cells. WR, the most hydrophobic and cationic, exhibited better antifungal activity and lower toxicity. Our study provides experimental evidence that targeted changes in the primary structure of peptides based on plant defensins γ-core primary structures prove to be a good tool for the synthesis of new compounds that may be useful as alternative antifungal drugs. The method described did not have the drawback of synthesis of several peptides, because alterations are guided. When compared to other methods, the design process described is efficient and viable to those with scarce resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estefany Braz Toledo
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Av. Alberto Lamego, nº 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, CEP 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Douglas Ribeiro Lucas
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Av. Alberto Lamego, nº 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, CEP 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Thatiana Lopes Biá Ventura Simão
- Laboratório de Biologia do Reconhecer, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Sanderson Dias Calixto
- Laboratório de Biologia do Reconhecer, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Elena Lassounskaia
- Laboratório de Biologia do Reconhecer, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Michele Frazão Muzitano
- Laboratório de Produtos Bioativos, Curso de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Campus Macaé, Pólo Novo Cavaleiro-IMMT, Macaé, RJ, 27933-378, Brazil
| | - Filipe Zanirati Damica
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Av. Alberto Lamego, nº 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, CEP 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, Av. Alberto Lamego, nº 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, CEP 28013-602, Brazil
| | - André de Oliveira Carvalho
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica de Microrganismos, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Av. Alberto Lamego, nº 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, CEP 28013-602, Brazil.
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21
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Ohno MK, Kirikae T, Yoshihara E, Kirikae F, Ishida I. Addition of L-cysteine to the N- or C-terminus of the all-D-enantiomer [ D(KLAKLAK) 2] increases antimicrobial activities against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii and Escherichia coli. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10176. [PMID: 33335804 PMCID: PMC7713595 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial peptides have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities and are attracting attention as promising next-generation antibiotics against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. The all-d-enantiomer [D(KLAKLAK)2] has been reported to have antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and to be resistant to protein degradation in bacteria because it is composed of D-enantiomer compounds. In this study, we demonstrated that modification of [D(KLAKLAK)2] by the addition of an L-cysteine residue to its N- or C- terminus markedly enhanced its antimicrobial activities against Gram-negative bacteria such as MDR Acinetobacter baumannii, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. METHODS The peptides [D(KLAKLAK)2] (DP), DP to which L-cysteine was added at the N-terminus C-DP, and DP to which L-cysteine was added at the C-terminus DP-C, were synthesized at >95% purity. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of peptides and antibiotics were determined by the broth microdilution method. The synergistic effects of the peptides and the antibiotics against MDR P. aeruginosa were evaluated using the checkerboard dilution method. In order to assess how these peptides affect the survival of human cells, cell viability was determined using a Cell Counting Kit-8. RESULTS C-DP and DP-C enhanced the antimicrobial activities of the peptide against MDR Gram-negative bacteria, including A. baumannii, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. The antimicrobial activity of DP-C was greater than that of C-DP, with these peptides also having antimicrobial activity against drug-susceptible P. aeruginosa and drug-resistant P. aeruginosa overexpressing the efflux pump components. C-DP and DP-C also showed antimicrobial activity against colistin-resistant E. coli harboring mcr-1, which encodes a lipid A modifying enzyme. DP-C showed synergistic antimicrobial activity against MDR P. aeruginosa when combined with colistin. The LD50 of DP-C against a human cell line HepG2 was six times higher than the MIC of DP-C against MDR P. aeruginosa. The LD50 of DP-C was not altered by incubation with low-dose colistin. CONCLUSION Attachment of an L-cysteine residue to the N- or C-terminus of [D(KLAKLAK)2] enhanced its antimicrobial activity against A. baumannii, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa. The combination of C-DP or DP-C and colistin had synergistic effects against MDR P. aeruginosa. In addition, DP-C and C-DP showed much stronger antimicrobial activity against MDR A. baumannii and E. coli than against P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki K. Ohno
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo Heisei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Teruo Kirikae
- Department of Microbiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Fumiko Kirikae
- Department of Microbiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Isao Ishida
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo Heisei University, Tokyo, Japan
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22
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Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity and Improved Stability of a D-Amino Acid Enantiomer of DMPC-10A, the Designed Derivative of Dermaseptin Truncates. Antibiotics (Basel) 2020; 9:antibiotics9090627. [PMID: 32967333 PMCID: PMC7557582 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics9090627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
DMPC-10A (ALWKKLLKK-Cha-NH2) is a 10-mer peptide derivative from the N-terminal domain of Dermaseptin-PC which has shown broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity as well as a considerable hemolytic effect. In order to reduce hemolytic activity and improve stability to endogenous enzymes, a D-amino acid enantiomer (DMPC-10B) was designed by substituting all L-Lys and L-Leu with their respective D-form amino acid residues, while the Ala1 and Trp3 remained unchanged. The D-amino acid enantiomer exhibited similar antimicrobial potency to the parent peptide but exerted lower cytotoxicity and hemolytic activity. Meanwhile, DMPC-10B exhibited remarkable resistance to hydrolysis by trypsin and chymotrypsin. In addition to these advantages, DMPC-10B exhibited an outstanding antibacterial effect against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Klebsiella pneumoniae using the Galleria mellonella larva model and displayed synergistic activities with gentamicin against carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae strains. This indicates that DMPC-10B would be a promising alternative for treating antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
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23
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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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24
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Correlation between hemolytic activity, cytotoxicity and systemic in vivo toxicity of synthetic antimicrobial peptides. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13206. [PMID: 32764602 PMCID: PMC7414031 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69995-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of non-standard toxicity models is a hurdle in the early development of antimicrobial peptides towards clinical applications. Herein we report an extensive in vitro and in vivo toxicity study of a library of 24 peptide-based antimicrobials with narrow spectrum activity towards veterinary pathogens. The haemolytic activity of the compounds was evaluated against four different species and the relative sensitivity against the compounds was highest for canine erythrocytes, intermediate for rat and human cells and lowest for bovine cells. Selected peptides were additionally evaluated against HeLa, HaCaT and HepG2 cells which showed increased stability towards the peptides. Therapeutic indexes of 50–500 suggest significant cellular selectivity in comparison to bacterial cells. Three peptides were administered to rats in intravenous acute dose toxicity studies up to 2–8 × MIC. None of the injected compounds induced any systemic toxic effects in vivo at the concentrations employed illustrating that the correlation between the different assays is not obvious. This work sheds light on the in vitro and in vivo toxicity of this class of promising compounds and provides insights into the relationship between the different toxicity models often employed in different manners to evaluate the toxicity of novel bioactive compounds in general.
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25
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Tornesello AL, Borrelli A, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. Antimicrobial Peptides as Anticancer Agents: Functional Properties and Biological Activities. Molecules 2020; 25:E2850. [PMID: 32575664 PMCID: PMC7356147 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25122850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), or host defense peptides, are small cationic or amphipathic molecules produced by prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms that play a key role in the innate immune defense against viruses, bacteria and fungi. AMPs have either antimicrobial or anticancer activities. Indeed, cationic AMPs are able to disrupt microbial cell membranes by interacting with negatively charged phospholipids. Moreover, several peptides are capable to trigger cytotoxicity of human cancer cells by binding to negatively charged phosphatidylserine moieties which are selectively exposed on the outer surface of cancer cell plasma membranes. In addition, some AMPs, such as LTX-315, have shown to induce release of tumor antigens and potent damage associated molecular patterns by causing alterations in the intracellular organelles of cancer cells. Given the recognized medical need of novel anticancer drugs, AMPs could represent a potential source of effective therapeutic agents, either alone or in combination with other small molecules, in oncology. In this review we summarize and describe the properties and the mode of action of AMPs as well as the strategies to increase their selectivity toward specific cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (F.M.B.); (M.L.T.)
| | - Antonella Borrelli
- Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Franco Maria Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (F.M.B.); (M.L.T.)
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (F.M.B.); (M.L.T.)
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26
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Covarrubias-Zambrano O, Yu J, Bossmann SH. Nano-Inspired Technologies for Peptide Delivery. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2019; 21:379-400. [PMID: 31793426 DOI: 10.2174/1389203720666191202112429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Nano-inspired technologies offer unique opportunities to treat numerous diseases by using therapeutic peptides. Therapeutic peptides have attractive pharmacological profiles and can be manufactured at relatively low costs. The major advantages of using a nanodelivery approach comprises significantly lower required dosages compared to systemic delivery, and thus reduced toxicity and immunogenicity. The combination of therapeutic peptides with delivery peptides and nanoparticles or small molecule drugs offers systemic treatment approaches, instead of aiming for single biological targets or pathways. This review article discusses exemplary state-of-the-art nanosized delivery systems for therapeutic peptides and antibodies, as well as their biochemical and biophysical foundations and emphasizes still remaining challenges. The competition between using different nanoplatforms, such as liposome-, hydrogel-, polymer-, silica nanosphere-, or nanosponge-based delivery systems is still "on" and no clear frontrunner has emerged to date.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jing Yu
- Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, 419 CBC Building, Manhattan, KS 66506-0401, United States.,Johns Hopkins University, Department of Radiology, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Stefan H Bossmann
- Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, 419 CBC Building, Manhattan, KS 66506-0401, United States
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27
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Zhong C, Gou S, Liu T, Zhu Y, Zhu N, Liu H, Zhang Y, Xie J, Guo X, Ni J. Study on the effects of different dimerization positions on biological activity of partial d-Amino acid substitution analogues of Anoplin. Microb Pathog 2019; 139:103871. [PMID: 31733278 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.103871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides have recently attracted much attention due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, rapid microbial effects, and minimal tendency toward resistance development. In this study, a series of new C-C terminals and C-N terminals dimer peptides were designed and synthesized by intermolecular dimerization of the partial d-amino acid substitution analogues of Anoplin, and the effects of different dimerization positions on biological activity were researched. The antimicrobial activity and stability of the new C-C terminals and C-N terminals dimer peptides were significantly improved compared with their parent peptide Anoplin. They displayed no obvious hemolytic activity and lower cytotoxicity, with a higher therapeutic index. Furthermore, the new dimer peptides not only enabled to rapidly disrupt bacterial membrane and damage its integrity which was different from conventional antibiotics but also penetrated bacterial membrane into binding to intracellular genomic DNA. More importantly, the new dimer peptides showed excellent antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant strains isolated from clinics in contrast to conventional antibiotics with low tendency to develop the bacterial resistance, besides they exhibited better anti-biofilm activity than antibiotic Rifampicin. Interestingly, the C-N terminals dimer peptides were superior to C-C terminals ones in antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity, therapeutic index, outer membrane permeability, and DNA binding ability, whereas there were no noteworthy effects in different dimerization positions on stability. Thus, these data suggested that dimerization in different positions represented a potent strategy to develop novel antimicrobial agents for fighting against increasing bacterial resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China; School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Tianqi Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yuewen Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Ningyi Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Hui Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Junqiu Xie
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Xiaomin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Jingman Ni
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China; School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
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28
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Li Y, Liu T, Liu Y, Tan Z, Ju Y, Yang Y, Dong W. Antimicrobial activity, membrane interaction and stability of the D-amino acid substituted analogs of antimicrobial peptide W3R6. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY B-BIOLOGY 2019; 200:111645. [PMID: 31671371 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2019.111645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptide W3R6 was derived from chensinin-1b and showed potential as a novel antibiotics. However, W3R6 was susceptible to protease cleavage, which limited its therapeutic application. To improve the proteolytic resistance of W3R6, D-amino acids were incorporated into its sequence by specific amino acid substitution or whole sequence substitution according to the specificity of the cleavage site. In this study, partially substituted analog D-Arg-W3R6 and completely substituted D-enantiomer D-W3R6 were synthesized. The resistance of D-Arg-W3R6 and D-W3R6 to cleavage by the tested protease increased, particularly of D-W3R6. The antimicrobial activity of D-Arg-W3R6 was almost the same as that of the parent peptide W3R6, but the antimicrobial activity of D-W3R6 was slightly decreased. The hemolytic activity of both D-Arg-W3R6 and D-W3R6 was negligible. The CD spectrum of D-W3R6 exhibited symmetry with that of W3R6 in a membrane-mimetic environment. The membrane interaction between the D-amino acid substituted analogs and a real/mimic bacterial cell membrane was examined. The outer membrane depolarization, inner membrane permeability and dye leakage in three types of liposomes treated with D-Arg-W3R6 and D-W3R6 were not obviously different from W3R6, which could be due to the similar physical and chemical properties. In addition, these three peptides showed the binding ability with LPS micelles detected by ITC, and their ability to disrupt the LPS micelles was examined by DLS experiment and even neutralize the surface negative charge of E. coli cells. These results suggest that D-Arg-W3R6 is a promising antibiotic molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Li
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Tong Liu
- School of Life Science, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116081, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Ling-Nan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
| | - Zhen Tan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Yang Ju
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Beijing Hospital, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Ling-Nan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China.
| | - Weibing Dong
- School of Life Science, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116081, China; Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology and Drug Discovery, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116081, China.
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29
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Mourtada R, Herce HD, Yin DJ, Moroco JA, Wales TE, Engen JR, Walensky LD. Design of stapled antimicrobial peptides that are stable, nontoxic and kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria in mice. Nat Biotechnol 2019; 37:1186-1197. [PMID: 31427820 PMCID: PMC7437984 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-019-0222-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The clinical translation of cationic α-helical antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has been hindered by structural instability, proteolytic degradation and in vivo toxicity from nonspecific membrane lysis. Although analyses of hydrophobic content and charge distribution have informed the design of synthetic AMPs with increased potency and reduced in vitro hemolysis, nonspecific membrane toxicity in vivo continues to impede AMP drug development. Here, we analyzed a 58-member library of stapled AMPs (StAMPs) based on magainin II and applied the insights from structure-function-toxicity measurements to devise an algorithm for the design of stable, protease-resistant, potent and nontoxic StAMP prototypes. We show that a lead double-stapled StAMP named Mag(i+4)1,15(A9K,B21A,N22K,S23K) can kill multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, such as colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a mouse peritonitis-sepsis model, without observed hemolysis or renal injury in murine toxicity studies. Inputting the amino acid sequences alone, we further generated membrane-selective StAMPs of pleurocidin, CAP18 and esculentin, highlighting the generalizability of our design platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rida Mourtada
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Linde Program in Cancer Chemical Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Henry D Herce
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Linde Program in Cancer Chemical Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel J Yin
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Linde Program in Cancer Chemical Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jamie A Moroco
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Thomas E Wales
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John R Engen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Loren D Walensky
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Linde Program in Cancer Chemical Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
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30
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Zhong C, Liu T, Gou S, He Y, Zhu N, Zhu Y, Wang L, Liu H, Zhang Y, Yao J, Ni J. Design and synthesis of new N-terminal fatty acid modified-antimicrobial peptide analogues with potent in vitro biological activity. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 182:111636. [PMID: 31466017 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Developing novel antimicrobial agents is a top priority in fighting against bacterial resistance. Thus, a series of new monomer and dimer peptides were designed and synthesized by conjugating fatty acids at the N-terminus of partial d-amino acid substitution analogues of anoplin and dimerization. The new peptides exhibited more efficient killing of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus compared with the parent peptide anoplin, and the dimer peptides were superior to the monomer peptides. It was important that the new peptides displayed low impact on bacterial resistance development. In addition, the antimicrobial activities were not significantly influenced by a physiological salt environment. They also presented high stability in the presence of protease or serum. Almost all of the new peptides had better selectivity towards anionic bacterial membranes over zwitterionic mammalian cell membranes. Moreover, the new peptides displayed synergistic or additive effects when used together with the antibiotics rifampicin and polymyxin B. These results showed that the new peptides could also prevent the formation of bacterial biofilms. Furthermore, outer/inner membrane permeabilization and cytoplasmic membrane depolarization experiments revealed that the new peptides had strong membrane permeabilization and depolarization. Confocal laser scanning microscopy, flow cytometry analysis and scanning electron microscopy further demonstrated that the new peptides could damage the integrity of the bacterial membrane. Finally, a DNA-binding affinity assay showed that the new peptides could bind to bacterial DNA. In summary, the conjugation of fatty acids at the N-terminus of peptides and dimerization are promising strategies for obtaining potent antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China; School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Tianqi Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China; School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yongtao He
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Ningyi Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yuewen Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Li Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Hui Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Jia Yao
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Jingman Ni
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China; School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
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31
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Amso Z, Hayouka Z. Antimicrobial random peptide cocktails: a new approach to fight pathogenic bacteria. Chem Commun (Camb) 2019; 55:2007-2014. [PMID: 30688322 DOI: 10.1039/c8cc09961h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance in bacteria has become a serious threat to public health, and therefore there is an urgent need to develop new classes of antimicrobial agents. Nowadays, natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and their synthetic derivatives are considered as promising alternatives to traditional antibiotics. The broad molecular diversity of AMPs, in terms of sequences and structures, suggests that their activity does not depend on specific features of amino acid sequence or peptide conformation. We therefore selected two common properties of AMPs, (high percentage of hydrophobic and cationic amino acids), to develop a novel approach to synthesize random antimicrobial peptide mixtures (RPMs). Instead of incorporating a single amino acid at each coupling step, a mixture of hydrophobic and cationic amino acids in a defined proportion is coupled. This results in a mixture that contains up to 2n sequences, where n is the number of the coupling step, of random peptides with a defined composition, stereochemistry, and controlled chain length. We have discovered that RPMs of hydrophobic and cationic α-amino acids, such as phenylalanine and lysine, display strong and broad antimicrobial activity towards Gram-negative, Gram-positive, clinically isolated antibiotic resistant "superbugs", and several plant pathogenic bacteria. This review summarizes our efforts to explore the mode of action of RPMs and their potential as bioactive agents for multiple applications, including the prevention of biofilm formation and degradation of mature biofilm (related to human health), reduction of disease severity in plant bacterial disease models (related to crop protection), and inhibition of bacterial growth in milk (related to food preservation). All our findings illustrate the effectiveness of RPMs and their great potential for various applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaid Amso
- The Scripps Research Institute, d/b/a Calibr, a division of Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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32
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Hassannejad N, Bahador A, Hayati Rudbari N, Modarressi MH, Parivar K. Comparison of OmpA Gene-Targeted Real-Time PCR with the Conventional Culture Method for Detection of Acinetobacter baumanii in Pneumonic BALB/c Mice. IRANIAN BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL 2019; 23. [PMID: 30665275 PMCID: PMC6707111 DOI: 10.29252/.23.2.159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acinetobacter baumannii is an important pathogen in health care and is responsible for severe nosocomial and community-acquired pneumonia. To design novel therapeutic agents, a mouse model for A. baumannii pneumonia is essential. METHODS We described a mouse model of A. baumannii using clinical and 19606R standard strains for developing a quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) for rapid identification of A. baumannii infection from lung tissues of BALB/c mice. RESULTS To infect the mice, three doses of bacteria (0.5 × 108, 1 × 108, and 1.5 × 108 cfu/ml) were used. Lung tissues were cultured and compared with ompA gene. Clinical isolates had better positive results at day three with the highest dose than 19606 strain either in culture (4 versus 3) or in qRT-PCR (5 versus 4). However, qRT-PCR detection was 100%, the specificity was 70%, and the positive predictive value was 27%. CONCLUSION The qRT-PCR detection of A. baumannii in the BALB/c mice model has a higher sensitivity than the culture method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niloofar Hassannejad
- Dept. of Cell Biology, Science and Research branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Bahador
- Dept. of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; ,Co-correspondence: Abbas Bahador, Dept. of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Mobile: (+98-912) 2207431; E-mail:
| | - Nasim Hayati Rudbari
- Dept. of Cell Biology, Science and Research branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Kazem Parivar
- Dept. of Cell Biology, Science and Research branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; ,Corresponding Author: Kazem Parivar, Dept. of Cell Biology, Science and Research branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Tel.: (+98-21) 44865179; E-mail:
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33
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Palmer LD, Green ER, Sheldon JR, Skaar EP. Assessing Acinetobacter baumannii Virulence and Persistence in a Murine Model of Lung Infection. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1946:289-305. [PMID: 30798564 PMCID: PMC6446551 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9118-1_26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen and a leading cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Murine models of A. baumannii lung infection allow researchers to experimentally assess A. baumannii virulence and host response. Intranasal administration of A. baumannii models acute lung infection. This chapter describes the methods to test A. baumannii virulence in a murine model of lung infection, including assessing the competitive index of a bacterial mutant and the associated inflammatory responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren D Palmer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Erin R Green
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jessica R Sheldon
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Eric P Skaar
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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34
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Zaccaria S, van Gaal RC, Riool M, Zaat SAJ, Dankers PYW. Antimicrobial peptide modification of biomaterials using supramolecular additives. JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE. PART A, POLYMER CHEMISTRY 2018; 56:1926-1934. [PMID: 30344368 PMCID: PMC6175361 DOI: 10.1002/pola.29078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Biomaterials based on non-active polymers functionalized with antimicrobial agents by covalent modification or mixing are currently regarded as high potential solutions to prevent biomaterial associated infections that are major causes of biomedical device failure. Herewith a strategy is proposed in which antimicrobial materials are prepared by simply mixing-and-matching of ureido-pyrimidinone (UPy) based supramolecular polymers with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) modified with the same UPy-moiety. The N-terminus of the AMPs was coupled in solution to an UPy-carboxylic acid synthon resulting in formation of a new amidic bond. The UPy-functionalization of the AMPs did not affect their secondary structure, as proved by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activity of the UPy-AMPs in solution was also retained. In addition, the incorporation of UPy-AMPs into an UPy-polymer was stable and the final material was biocompatible. The addition of 4 mol % of UPy-AMPs in the UPy-polymer material protected against colonization by Escherichia coli, and methicillin-sensitive and -resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. This modular approach enables a stable but dynamic incorporation of the antimicrobial agents, allowing at the same time for the possibility to change the nature of the polymer, as well as the use of AMPs with different activity spectra. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018, 56, 1926-1934.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Zaccaria
- Laboratory for Chemical BiologyEindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
| | - Ronald C. van Gaal
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
- Laboratory for Cell and Tissue EngineeringEindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
| | - Martijn Riool
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyAmsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15Amsterdam 1105 AZThe Netherlands
| | - Sebastian A. J. Zaat
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyAmsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15Amsterdam 1105 AZThe Netherlands
| | - Patricia Y. W. Dankers
- Laboratory for Chemical BiologyEindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
- Laboratory for Cell and Tissue EngineeringEindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MBEindhovenThe Netherlands
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Shoombuatong W, Schaduangrat N, Nantasenamat C. Unraveling the bioactivity of anticancer peptides as deduced from machine learning. EXCLI JOURNAL 2018; 17:734-752. [PMID: 30190664 PMCID: PMC6123611 DOI: 10.17179/excli2018-1447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cancer imposes a global health burden as it represents one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality while also giving rise to significant economic burden owing to the associated expenditures for its monitoring and treatment. In spite of advancements in cancer therapy, the low success rate and recurrence of tumor has necessitated the ongoing search for new therapeutic agents. Aside from drugs based on small molecules and protein-based biopharmaceuticals, there has been an intense effort geared towards the development of peptide-based therapeutics owing to its favorable and intrinsic properties of being relatively small, highly selective, potent, safe and low in production costs. In spite of these advantages, there are several inherent weaknesses that are in need of attention in the design and development of therapeutic peptides. An abundance of data on bioactive and therapeutic peptides have been accumulated over the years and the burgeoning area of artificial intelligence has set the stage for the lucrative utilization of machine learning to make sense of these large and high-dimensional data. This review summarizes the current state-of-the-art on the application of machine learning for studying the bioactivity of anticancer peptides along with future outlook of the field. Data and R codes used in the analysis herein are available on GitHub at https://github.com/Shoombuatong2527/anticancer-peptides-review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Watshara Shoombuatong
- Center of Data Mining and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
| | - Nalini Schaduangrat
- Center of Data Mining and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
| | - Chanin Nantasenamat
- Center of Data Mining and Biomedical Informatics, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
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Wesche F, Adihou H, Kaiser A, Wurglics M, Schubert-Zsilavecz M, Kaiser M, Bode HB. Combined Approach of Backbone Amide Linking and On-Resin N-Methylation for the Synthesis of Bioactive and Metabolically Stable Peptides. J Med Chem 2018; 61:3930-3938. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Wesche
- Molekulare Biotechnologie, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Hélène Adihou
- Molekulare Biotechnologie, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Astrid Kaiser
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Mario Wurglics
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Manfred Schubert-Zsilavecz
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Marcel Kaiser
- Parasite Chemotherapy, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Helge B. Bode
- Molekulare Biotechnologie, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 15, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Deslouches B, Di YP. Antimicrobial peptides with selective antitumor mechanisms: prospect for anticancer applications. Oncotarget 2018; 8:46635-46651. [PMID: 28422728 PMCID: PMC5542299 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 243] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last several decades, there have been significant advances in anticancer therapy. However, the development of resistance to cancer drugs and the lack of specificity related to actively dividing cells leading to toxic side effects have undermined these achievements. As a result, there is considerable interest in alternative drugs with novel antitumor mechanisms. In addition to the recent approach using immunotherapy, an effective but much cheaper therapeutic option of pharmaceutical drugs would still provide the best choice for cancer patients as the first line treatment. Ribosomally synthesized cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) or host defense peptides (HDP) display broad-spectrum activity against bacteria based on electrostatic interactions with negatively charged lipids on the bacterial surface. Because of increased proportions of phosphatidylserine (negatively charged) on the surface of cancer cells compared to normal cells, cationic amphipathic peptides could be an effective source of anticancer agents that are both selective and refractory to current resistance mechanisms. We reviewed herein the prospect for AMP application to cancer treatment, with a focus on modes of action of cationic AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berthony Deslouches
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Y Peter Di
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Design and synthesis of cell selective α/β-diastereomeric peptidomimetic with potent in vivo antibacterial activity against methicillin resistant S. Aureus. Bioorg Chem 2018; 76:538-547. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2017.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides are promising candidates for anti-infective pharmaceuticals. Unfortunately, because of their low proteolytic and chemical stability, their usage is generally narrowed down to topical formulations. Until now, numerous approaches to increase peptide stability have been proposed. One of them, peptide hydrocarbon stapling, a modification based on stabilizing peptide secondary structure with a side-chain covalent hydrocarbon bridge, have been successfully applied to many peptides. Moreover, constraining secondary structure of peptides have also been proven to increase their biological activity. This review article describes studies on hydrocarbon stapled antimicrobial peptides with respect to improved drug-like properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorian Migoń
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416, Gdańsk, Poland.
- Polpharma Biologics, Gdańsk, Poland.
| | - Damian Neubauer
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Wojciech Kamysz
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdańsk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416, Gdańsk, Poland
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Lactoferricin Peptides Increase Macrophages' Capacity To Kill Mycobacterium avium. mSphere 2017; 2:mSphere00301-17. [PMID: 28875176 PMCID: PMC5577653 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00301-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The genus Mycobacterium comprises several pathogenic species, including M. tuberculosis, M. leprae, M. avium, etc. Infections caused by these bacteria are particularly difficult to treat due to their intrinsic impermeability, low growth rate, and intracellular localization. Antimicrobial peptides are increasingly acknowledged as potential treatment tools, as they have a high spectrum of activity, low tendency to induce bacterial resistance, and immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we show that peptides derived from bovine lactoferricin (LFcin) improve the antimicrobial activity of ethambutol against Mycobacterium avium growing inside macrophages. Moreover, the d-enantiomer of a short version of lactoferricin containing amino acids 17 to 30 (d-LFcin17–30) causes intramacrophagic death of M. avium by increasing the formation of lysosomes and autophagosomes. This work opens the way to the use of lactoferricin-derived peptides to treat infections caused by mycobacteria and highlights important modulatory effects of d-FLcin17–30 on macrophages, which may be useful under other conditions in which macrophage activation is needed. Mycobacterial infections cause a significant burden of disease and death worldwide. Their treatment is long, toxic, costly, and increasingly prone to failure due to bacterial resistance to currently available antibiotics. New therapeutic options are thus clearly needed. Antimicrobial peptides represent an important source of new antimicrobial molecules, both for their direct activity and for their immunomodulatory potential. We have previously reported that a short version of the bovine antimicrobial peptide lactoferricin with amino acids 17 to 30 (LFcin17–30), along with its variants obtained by specific amino acid substitutions, killed Mycobacterium avium in broth culture. In the present work, those peptides were tested against M. avium living inside its natural host cell, the macrophage. We found that the peptides increased the antimicrobial action of the conventional antibiotic ethambutol inside macrophages. Moreover, the d-enantiomer of the lactoferricin peptide (d-LFcin17–30) was more stable and induced significant killing of intracellular mycobacteria by itself. Interestingly, d-LFcin17–30 did not localize to M. avium-harboring phagosomes but induced the production of proinflammatory cytokines and increased the formation of lysosomes and autophagosome-like vesicles. These results lead us to conclude that d-LFcin17–30 primes macrophages for intracellular microbial digestion through phagosomal maturation and/or autophagy, culminating in mycobacterial killing. IMPORTANCE The genus Mycobacterium comprises several pathogenic species, including M. tuberculosis, M. leprae, M. avium, etc. Infections caused by these bacteria are particularly difficult to treat due to their intrinsic impermeability, low growth rate, and intracellular localization. Antimicrobial peptides are increasingly acknowledged as potential treatment tools, as they have a high spectrum of activity, low tendency to induce bacterial resistance, and immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we show that peptides derived from bovine lactoferricin (LFcin) improve the antimicrobial activity of ethambutol against Mycobacterium avium growing inside macrophages. Moreover, the d-enantiomer of a short version of lactoferricin containing amino acids 17 to 30 (d-LFcin17–30) causes intramacrophagic death of M. avium by increasing the formation of lysosomes and autophagosomes. This work opens the way to the use of lactoferricin-derived peptides to treat infections caused by mycobacteria and highlights important modulatory effects of d-FLcin17–30 on macrophages, which may be useful under other conditions in which macrophage activation is needed.
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Zhao Y, Zhang M, Qiu S, Wang J, Peng J, Zhao P, Zhu R, Wang H, Li Y, Wang K, Yan W, Wang R. Antimicrobial activity and stability of the D-amino acid substituted derivatives of antimicrobial peptide polybia-MPI. AMB Express 2016; 6:122. [PMID: 27900727 PMCID: PMC5128008 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-016-0295-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptide has the potential to be developed as new kind of antimicrobial agents with novel action mechanism. However, the susceptibility to protease is a drawback for potential peptides to be clinical used. d-amino acid substitution can be one way to increase the proteolytic stability of peptides. In the present study, we synthesized the d-lysines substituted analog (d-lys-MPI) and the d-enantiomer of polybia-MPI (D-MPI) to improve the proteolytic resistance of polybia-MPI. Our results showed that, the stability of its d-amino acid partially substituted analog d-lys-MPI was increased. However, it lost antimicrobial activity at the tested concentration with the loss of α-helix content. As shown in the CD spectra, after substitution, the spectra of D-MPI is symmetrical to MPI, indicated it turned into left hand α-helical conformation. Excitingly, the stability of D-MPI toward the tested protease was improved greatly. Notably, the antimicrobial activity of D-MPI was comparable to its L-counterpart MPI, even improved. In addition, the hemolytic activity of D-MPI was lowered. This also indicated that the action target of antimicrobial peptide polybia-MPI was not chiral specific. So, D-MPI may offer a therapeutic strategy to defend the infection of microbes, considering its stability to protease and relatively lower cytotoxicity to human erythrocytes.
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Roles of d-Amino Acids on the Bioactivity of Host Defense Peptides. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:ijms17071023. [PMID: 27376281 PMCID: PMC4964399 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17071023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Revised: 06/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Host defense peptides (HDPs) are positively-charged and amphipathic components of the innate immune system that have demonstrated great potential to become the next generation of broad spectrum therapeutic agents effective against a vast array of pathogens and tumor. As such, many approaches have been taken to improve the therapeutic efficacy of HDPs. Amongst these methods, the incorporation of d-amino acids (d-AA) is an approach that has demonstrated consistent success in improving HDPs. Although, virtually all HDP review articles briefly mentioned about the role of d-AA, however it is rather surprising that no systematic review specifically dedicated to this topic exists. Given the impact that d-AA incorporation has on HDPs, this review aims to fill that void with a systematic discussion of the impact of d-AA on HDPs.
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Smani Y, Pachón-Ibáñez ME, Pachón J. New molecules and adjuvants in the treatment of infections by Acinetobacter baumannii. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2016; 17:1207-14. [PMID: 27067283 DOI: 10.1080/14656566.2016.1176144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The current problems of the treatment of infections by Acinetobacter baumannii are linked with the increase of multidrug- and extensive-drug resistance and the lack of development of new antimicrobial drugs for Gram-negative bacilli. For these reasons, new alternatives for the treatment and control of severe infections by A. baumannii are necessary. Several studies have reported the effect of adjuvants to restore the efficacy of existing antimicrobial agents. AREAS COVERED In the present review, the authors describe the main results in the development of adjuvant drugs as well as new data on antimicrobial peptides, in monotherapy or in combination therapy with existing antimicrobial agents, which have shown promising preclinical results in vitro and in vivo. EXPERT OPINION The preclinical evaluation of adjuvants and antimicrobial peptides, in monotherapy or in combination therapy, for A. baumannii infections has shown promising results. However, caution is needed and further extensive in vivo studies and clinical trials have to be performed to confirm the potential use of these adjuvants as true therapeutic alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Younes Smani
- a Clinical Unit of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, and Preventive Medicine , Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville , Seville , Spain
| | - María Eugenia Pachón-Ibáñez
- a Clinical Unit of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, and Preventive Medicine , Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville , Seville , Spain
| | - Jerónimo Pachón
- a Clinical Unit of Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, and Preventive Medicine , Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS), University Hospital Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/University of Seville , Seville , Spain
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Jacob B, Rajasekaran G, Kim EY, Park IS, Bang JK, Shin SY. The stereochemical effect of SMAP-29 and SMAP-18 on bacterial selectivity, membrane interaction and anti-inflammatory activity. Amino Acids 2016; 48:1241-51. [PMID: 26795535 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-016-2170-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Sheep myeloid antimicrobial peptide-29 (SMAP-29) is a cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide derived from sheep myeloid cells. In order to investigate the effects of L-to-D-amino acid substitution in SMAP-29 on bacterial selectivity, membrane interaction and anti-inflammatory activity, we synthesized its two D-enantiomeric peptides (SMAP-29-E1 and SMAP-29-E2 containing D-Ile and D-allo-Ile, respectively) and two diastereomeric peptides (SMAP-29-D1 and SMAP-29-D2). Additionally, in order to address the effect of L-to-D-amino acid substitution in the N-terminal helical peptide of SMAP-29 (named SMAP-18) on antimicrobial activity, we synthesized its two D-enantiomeric peptides (SMAP-18-E1 and SMAP-18-E2), which are composed of D-amino acids entirely. L-to-D-amino acid substitution in membrane-targeting AMP, SMAP-29 did not affect its antimicrobial activity. However, D-allo-Ile containing-SMAP-29-E2 and SMAP-29-D2 exhibited less hemolytic activity compared to D-Ile containing-SMAP-29-E1 and SMAP-29-D1, respectively. L-to-D-amino acid substitution in intracellular targeting-AMPs, SMAP-18 and buforin-2 improved antimicrobial activity by 2- to eightfold. The improved antimicrobial activity of the D-isomers of SMAP-18 and buforin-2 seems to be due to the stability against proteases inside bacterial cells. Membrane depolarization and dye leakage suggested that the membrane-disruptive mode of SMAP-29-D1 and SMAP-29-D2 is different from that of SMAP-29, SMAP-29-E1, and SMAP-29-E2. L-to-D-amino acid substitution in SMAP-29 improved anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In summary, we propose here that D-allo-Ile substitution is a more powerful strategy for increasing bacterial selectivity than D-Ile substitution in the design of D-enantiomeric and diastereomeric AMPs. SMAP-29-D1, and SMAP-29-D2 with improved bacterial selectivity and anti-inflammatory activity can serve as promising candidates for the development of anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binu Jacob
- Department of Medical Science, Graduate School, Chosun University, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea
| | - Ganesan Rajasekaran
- Department of Medical Science, Graduate School, Chosun University, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Young Kim
- Department of Medical Science, Graduate School, Chosun University, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea
| | - Il-Seon Park
- Department of Medical Science, Graduate School, Chosun University, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Kyu Bang
- Division of Magnetic Resonance, Korea Basic Science Institute, 804-1 Yangchung-ri, Ochang, Chungbuk, 363-883, Republic of Korea.
| | - Song Yub Shin
- Department of Medical Science, Graduate School, Chosun University, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, 501-759, Republic of Korea.
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Cheng J, Chin W, Dong H, Xu L, Zhong G, Huang Y, Li L, Xu K, Wu M, Hedrick JL, Yang YY, Fan W. Biodegradable Antimicrobial Polycarbonates with In Vivo Efficacy against Multidrug-Resistant MRSA Systemic Infection. Adv Healthc Mater 2015; 4:2128-2136. [PMID: 26331284 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201500471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Revised: 08/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The threat of multidrug resistance requires development of new medicines to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. The biodegradable polycarbonates that have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and show the highest selectivity toward S. aureus are studied for their antibacterial properties against clinically isolated MRSA and toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of the polymers are demonstrated to be much lower than those of cefoxitin (a commonly used antibiotic) against all 31 isolates but slightly higher than those of vancomycin, a last resort medication for treating severe Gram-positive drug-resistant bacterial infections. Both polymers show low hemolytic activity toward human red blood cells, making them highly selective toward MRSA in vitro. A time-kill study reveals that these polymers have high bactericidal efficiency and eradicate MRSA more rapidly than vancomycin. Results from a resistance development study also attests to the polymers low tendency toward resistance. Furthermore, the in vivo study shows that one of the polymers is highly efficacious in a mouse systemic infection model, and reduced MRSA counts in the blood more promptly than vancomycin. The administration of the polymer to mice further indicates that it did not cause any dysfunctions of liver and kidney as well as blood electrolytes. This is the first example of a polymeric therapeutics for treating systemic MRSA infection. Taken together, the biodegradable antimicrobial polycarbonate may be a better candidate for treating MRSA infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junchi Cheng
- Program of Innovative Therapeutics First Affiliated Hospital; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310003 China
| | - Willy Chin
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Singapore 138669 Singapore
| | - Huihui Dong
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases; First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310003 China
| | - Liang Xu
- Program of Innovative Therapeutics First Affiliated Hospital; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310003 China
| | - Guansheng Zhong
- Program of Innovative Therapeutics First Affiliated Hospital; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310003 China
| | - Yuan Huang
- Program of Innovative Therapeutics First Affiliated Hospital; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310003 China
| | - Lanjuan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases; First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310003 China
| | - Kaijin Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases; First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310003 China
| | - Min Wu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; School of Medicine and Health Sciences; University of North Dakota; Grand Forks ND 58203 USA
| | | | - Yi Yan Yang
- Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology; Singapore 138669 Singapore
| | - Weimin Fan
- Program of Innovative Therapeutics First Affiliated Hospital; Zhejiang University; Hangzhou 310003 China
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Chen C, Chen Y, Yang C, Zeng P, Xu H, Pan F, Lu JR. High Selective Performance of Designed Antibacterial and Anticancer Peptide Amphiphiles. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2015. [PMID: 26204061 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.5b04547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Short designed peptide amphiphiles are attractive at killing bacteria and inhibiting cancer cell growth, and the flexibility in their structural design offers a great potential for improving their potency and biocompatibility to mammalian host cells. Amino acid sequences such as G(IIKK)nI-NH2 (n≥3) have been shown to be membrane lytic, but terminal amino acid modifications could impose a huge influence on their performance. We report in this work how terminal amino acid modifications to G(IIKK)3I-NH2 influence its α-helical structure, membrane penetrating ability, and selective actions against different cell types. Deletion of an N-terminal Gly or a C-terminal Ile did not affect their antibacterial activity much, an observation consistent with their binding behavior to negatively charged membrane lipid monolayers. However, the cytotoxicity against mammalian cells was much worsened by the N-terminal Gly deletion, consistent with an increase in its helical content. Despite little impact on the antibacterial activity of G(IIKK)3I-NH2, deletion of both terminal amino acids greatly reduced its antitumor activity. Cholesterol present in tumor cell membrane-mimic was thought to constrain (IIKK)3-NH2 from penetrating into the cancerous membranes, evident from its lowest surface physical activity at penetrating model lipid membranes. On the other hand, its low toxicity to normal mammalian cells and high antibacterial activity in vitro and in vivo made it an attractive antibacterial agent. Thus, terminal modifications can help rebalance the different interactions involved and are highly effective at manipulating their selective membrane responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuixia Chen
- †Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Yucan Chen
- †Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Cheng Yang
- †Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Ping Zeng
- †Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Hai Xu
- †Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), 66 Changjiang West Road, Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Fang Pan
- ‡Biological Physics Laboratory, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Schuster Building, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Jian Ren Lu
- ‡Biological Physics Laboratory, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Schuster Building, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
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Islam SMA, Sajed T, Kearney CM, Baker EJ. PredSTP: a highly accurate SVM based model to predict sequential cystine stabilized peptides. BMC Bioinformatics 2015; 16:210. [PMID: 26142484 PMCID: PMC4491269 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-015-0633-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Numerous organisms have evolved a wide range of toxic peptides for self-defense and predation. Their effective interstitial and macro-environmental use requires energetic and structural stability. One successful group of these peptides includes a tri-disulfide domain arrangement that offers toxicity and high stability. Sequential tri-disulfide connectivity variants create highly compact disulfide folds capable of withstanding a variety of environmental stresses. Their combination of toxicity and stability make these peptides remarkably valuable for their potential as bio-insecticides, antimicrobial peptides and peptide drug candidates. However, the wide sequence variation, sources and modalities of group members impose serious limitations on our ability to rapidly identify potential members. As a result, there is a need for automated high-throughput member classification approaches that leverage their demonstrated tertiary and functional homology. Results We developed an SVM-based model to predict sequential tri-disulfide peptide (STP) toxins from peptide sequences. One optimized model, called PredSTP, predicted STPs from training set with sensitivity, specificity, precision, accuracy and a Matthews correlation coefficient of 94.86 %, 94.11 %, 84.31 %, 94.30 % and 0.86, respectively, using 200 fold cross validation. The same model outperforms existing prediction approaches in three independent out of sample testsets derived from PDB. Conclusion PredSTP can accurately identify a wide range of cystine stabilized peptide toxins directly from sequences in a species-agnostic fashion. The ability to rapidly filter sequences for potential bioactive peptides can greatly compress the time between peptide identification and testing structural and functional properties for possible antimicrobial and insecticidal candidates. A web interface is freely available to predict STP toxins from http://crick.ecs.baylor.edu/. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-015-0633-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tanvir Sajed
- Department of Computer Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
| | - Christopher Michel Kearney
- Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA. .,Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
| | - Erich J Baker
- Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA. .,Department of Computer Science, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97356, Waco, TX, USA.
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Piscidin is highly active against carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and NDM-1-producing Klebsiella pneumonia in a systemic Septicaemia infection mouse model. Mar Drugs 2015; 13:2287-305. [PMID: 25874924 PMCID: PMC4413212 DOI: 10.3390/md13042287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2015] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the antimicrobial activity of two synthetic antimicrobial peptides from an aquatic organism, tilapia piscidin 3 (TP3) and tilapia piscidin 4 (TP4), in vitro and in a murine sepsis model, as compared with ampicillin, tigecycline, and imipenem. Mice were infected with (NDM-1)-producing K. pneumonia and multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, and subsequently treated with TP3, TP4, or antibiotics for different periods of time (up to 168 h). Mouse survival and bacterial colony forming units (CFU) in various organs were measured after each treatment. Toxicity was determined based on observation of behavior and measurement of biochemical parameters. TP3 and TP4 exhibited strong activity against K. pneumonia and A. baumannii in vitro. Administration of TP3 (150 μg/mouse) or TP4 (50 μg/mouse) 30 min after infection with K. pneumonia or A. baumannii significantly increased survival in mice. TP4 was more effective than tigecycline at reducing CFU counts in several organs. TP3 and TP4 were shown to be non-toxic, and did not affect mouse behavior. TP3 and TP4 are able at potentiate anti-Acinetobacter baumannii or anti-Klebsiella pneumonia drug activity, reduce bacterial load, and prevent drug resistance, indicating their potential for use in combating multidrug-resistant bacteria.
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Ong ZY, Wiradharma N, Yang YY. Strategies employed in the design and optimization of synthetic antimicrobial peptide amphiphiles with enhanced therapeutic potentials. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2014; 78:28-45. [PMID: 25453271 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2014.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2014] [Revised: 10/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) which predominantly act via membrane active mechanisms have emerged as an exciting class of antimicrobial agents with tremendous potential to overcome the global epidemic of antibiotics-resistant infections. The first generation of AMPs derived from natural sources as diverse as plants, insects and humans has provided a wealth of compositional and structural information to design novel synthetic AMPs with enhanced antimicrobial potencies and selectivities, reduced cost of production due to shorter sequences and improved stabilities under physiological conditions. In this review, we will first discuss the common strategies employed in the design and optimization of synthetic AMPs, followed by highlighting the various approaches utilized to enhance the therapeutic potentials of designed AMPs under physiological conditions. Lastly, future perspectives on the development of improved AMPs for therapeutic applications will be presented.
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Vila J, Pachón J. Therapeutic options forAcinetobacter baumanniiinfections: an update. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2012; 13:2319-36. [DOI: 10.1517/14656566.2012.729820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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