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Lebedev M, Benjamin AB, Kumar S, Molchanova N, Lin JS, Koster KJ, Leibowitz JL, Barron AE, Cirillo JD. Antiviral Effect of Antimicrobial Peptoid TM9 and Murine Model of Respiratory Coronavirus Infection. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:464. [PMID: 38675125 PMCID: PMC11054490 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16040464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
New antiviral agents are essential to improving treatment and control of SARS-CoV-2 infections that can lead to the disease COVID-19. Antimicrobial peptoids are sequence-specific oligo-N-substituted glycine peptidomimetics that emulate the structure and function of natural antimicrobial peptides but are resistant to proteases. We demonstrate antiviral activity of a new peptoid (TM9) against the coronavirus, murine hepatitis virus (MHV), as a closely related model for the structure and antiviral susceptibility profile of SARS-CoV-2. This peptoid mimics the human cathelicidin LL-37, which has also been shown to have antimicrobial and antiviral activity. In this study, TM9 was effective against three murine coronavirus strains, demonstrating that the therapeutic window is large enough to allow the use of TM9 for treatment. All three isolates of MHV generated infection in mice after 15 min of exposure by aerosol using the Madison aerosol chamber, and all three viral strains could be isolated from the lungs throughout the 5-day observation period post-infection, with the peak titers on day 2. MHV-A59 and MHV-A59-GFP were also isolated from the liver, heart, spleen, olfactory bulbs, and brain. These data demonstrate that MHV serves as a valuable natural murine model of coronavirus pathogenesis in multiple organs, including the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxim Lebedev
- School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; (M.L.); (A.B.B.); (S.K.); (K.J.K.); (J.L.L.)
| | - Aaron B. Benjamin
- School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; (M.L.); (A.B.B.); (S.K.); (K.J.K.); (J.L.L.)
| | - Sathish Kumar
- School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; (M.L.); (A.B.B.); (S.K.); (K.J.K.); (J.L.L.)
| | - Natalia Molchanova
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.L.); (A.E.B.)
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jennifer S. Lin
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.L.); (A.E.B.)
| | - Kent J. Koster
- School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; (M.L.); (A.B.B.); (S.K.); (K.J.K.); (J.L.L.)
| | - Julian L. Leibowitz
- School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; (M.L.); (A.B.B.); (S.K.); (K.J.K.); (J.L.L.)
| | - Annelise E. Barron
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (N.M.); (J.S.L.); (A.E.B.)
| | - Jeffrey D. Cirillo
- School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; (M.L.); (A.B.B.); (S.K.); (K.J.K.); (J.L.L.)
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Juszczuk-Kubiak E. Molecular Aspects of the Functioning of Pathogenic Bacteria Biofilm Based on Quorum Sensing (QS) Signal-Response System and Innovative Non-Antibiotic Strategies for Their Elimination. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2655. [PMID: 38473900 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052655] [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: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the key mechanisms enabling bacterial cells to create biofilms and regulate crucial life functions in a global and highly synchronized way is a bacterial communication system called quorum sensing (QS). QS is a bacterial cell-to-cell communication process that depends on the bacterial population density and is mediated by small signalling molecules called autoinducers (AIs). In bacteria, QS controls the biofilm formation through the global regulation of gene expression involved in the extracellular polymeric matrix (EPS) synthesis, virulence factor production, stress tolerance and metabolic adaptation. Forming biofilm is one of the crucial mechanisms of bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A common feature of human pathogens is the ability to form biofilm, which poses a serious medical issue due to their high susceptibility to traditional antibiotics. Because QS is associated with virulence and biofilm formation, there is a belief that inhibition of QS activity called quorum quenching (QQ) may provide alternative therapeutic methods for treating microbial infections. This review summarises recent progress in biofilm research, focusing on the mechanisms by which biofilms, especially those formed by pathogenic bacteria, become resistant to antibiotic treatment. Subsequently, a potential alternative approach to QS inhibition highlighting innovative non-antibiotic strategies to control AMR and biofilm formation of pathogenic bacteria has been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edyta Juszczuk-Kubiak
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Engineering, Department of Microbiology, Prof. Wacław Dąbrowski Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology-State Research Institute, Rakowiecka 36 Street, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland
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Memariani M, Memariani H. Antifungal properties of cathelicidin LL-37: current knowledge and future research directions. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 40:34. [PMID: 38057654 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03852-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
The threat of fungal diseases is substantially underestimated worldwide, but they have serious consequences for humans, animals, and plants. Given the limited number of existing antifungal drugs together with the emergence of drug-resistant strains, many researchers have actively sought alternatives or adjuvants to antimycotics. The best way to tackle these issues is to unearth potential antifungal agents with new modes of action. Antimicrobial peptides are being hailed as a promising source of novel antimicrobials since they exhibit rapid and broad-spectrum microbicidal activities with a reduced likelihood of developing drug resistance. Recent years have witnessed an explosion in knowledge on microbicidal activity of LL-37, the sole human cathelicidin. Herein, we provide a summary of the current understanding about antifungal properties of LL-37, with particular emphasis on its molecular mechanisms. We further illustrate fruitful areas for future research. LL-37 is able to inhibit the growth of clinically and agronomically relevant fungi including Aspergillus, Candida, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Malassezia, Pythium, and Trichophyton. Destruction of the cell wall integrity, membrane permeabilization, induction of oxidative stress, disruption of endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis, formation of autophagy-like structures, alterations in expression of numerous fungal genes, and inhibition of cell cycle progression are the key mechanisms underlying antifungal effects of LL-37. Burgeoning evidence also suggests that LL-37 may act as a potential anti-virulence peptide. It is hoped that this review will not only motivate researchers to conduct more detailed studies in this field, but also inspire further innovations in the design of LL-37-based drugs for the treatment of fungal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojtaba Memariani
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamed Memariani
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Szymczak P, Szczurek E. Artificial intelligence-driven antimicrobial peptide discovery. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2023; 83:102733. [PMID: 37992451 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) emerge as promising agents against antimicrobial resistance, providing an alternative to conventional antibiotics. Artificial intelligence (AI) revolutionized AMP discovery through both discrimination and generation approaches. The discriminators aid in the identification of promising candidates by predicting key peptide properties such as activity and toxicity, while the generators learn the distribution of peptides and enable sampling novel AMP candidates, either de novo or as analogs of a prototype peptide. Moreover, the controlled generation of AMPs with desired properties is achieved by discriminator-guided filtering, positive-only learning, latent space sampling, as well as conditional and optimized generation. Here we review recent achievements in AI-driven AMP discovery, highlighting the most exciting directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Szymczak
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Ewa Szczurek
- Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland.
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Moule MG, Benjamin AB, Buger ML, Herlan C, Lebedev M, Lin JS, Koster KJ, Wavare N, Adams LG, Bräse S, Barron AE, Cirillo JD. Peptide-mimetic treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a mouse model of respiratory infection. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.30.564794. [PMID: 37961726 PMCID: PMC10634950 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.30.564794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The rise of drug resistance has become a global crisis, with >1 million deaths due to resistant bacterial infections each year. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in particular, remains a serious problem with limited solutions due to complex resistance mechanisms that now lead to more than 32,000 multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections and over 2,000 deaths annually. While the emergence of resistant bacteria has become concerningly common, identification of useful new drug classes has been limited over the past 40+ years. We found that a potential novel therapeutic, the peptide-mimetic TM5, is effective at killing P. aeruginosa and displays sufficiently low toxicity for mammalian cells to allow for use in treatment of infections. Interestingly, TM5 kills P. aeruginosa more rapidly than traditional antibiotics, within 30-60 minutes in vitro , and is effective against a range of clinical isolates. In vivo , TM5 significantly reduced bacterial load in the lungs within 24 hours compared to untreated mice and demonstrated few adverse effects. Taken together, these observations suggest that TM5 shows promise as an alternative therapy for MDR P. aeruginosa respiratory infections.
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Complete Genome Sequences of Bioluminescent Staphylococcus aureus Strains Xen31 and Xen36, Derived from Two Clinical Isolates. Microbiol Resour Announc 2023; 12:e0002423. [PMID: 36840571 PMCID: PMC10019319 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00024-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we report complete genome sequences of two clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, namely, Xen31 and Xen36, which have been genetically modified to express an optimized Photorhabdus luminescens luciferase operon. Xen31 and Xen36 are bioluminescent strains used widely for investigation of bacterial pathogenesis, drug discovery, and development of novel therapies.
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Memariani H, Memariani M. Antibiofilm properties of cathelicidin LL-37: an in-depth review. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 39:99. [PMID: 36781570 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03545-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Notwithstanding ceaseless endeavors toward developing effective antibiofilm chemotherapeutics, biofilm-associated infections continue to be one of the most perplexing challenges confronting medicine today. Endogenous host defense peptides, such as the human cathelicidin LL-37, are being propounded as promising options for treating such infectious diseases. Over the past decennium, LL-37 has duly received tremendous research attention by virtue of its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and immunomodulatory properties. No attempt has hitherto been made, as far as we are aware, to comprehensively review the antibiofilm effects of LL-37. Accordingly, the intent in this paper is to provide a fairly all-embracing review of the literature available on the subject. Accumulating evidence suggests that LL-37 is able to prevent biofilm establishment by different bacterial pathogens such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Bacteroides fragilis, Burkholderia thailandensis, Cutibacterium acnes, Escherichia coli, Francisella tularensis, Helicobacter pylori, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Inhibition of bacterial adhesion, downregulation of biofilm-associated genes, suppression of quorum-sensing pathways, degradation of biofilm matrix, and eradication of biofilm-residing cells are the major mechanisms responsible for antibiofilm properties of LL-37. In terms of its efficacy and safety in vivo, there are still many questions to be answered. Undoubtedly, LL-37 can open up new windows of opportunity to prevent and treat obstinate biofilm-mediated infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamed Memariani
- Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Memariani
- Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
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The Anti-Amoebic Activity of a Peptidomimetic against Acanthamoeba castellanii. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10122377. [PMID: 36557630 PMCID: PMC9782699 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10122377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Acanthamoeba is a free-living protozoan known to cause keratitis most commonly, especially among contact lens wearers. Treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis is challenging as Acanthamoeba can encyst from the active form, a trophozoite, into a hibernating cyst that is refractory to antibiotics and difficult to kill; therefore, there is a need for more effective anti-amoebic strategies. In this study, we have evaluated the anti-amoebic activity of the antimicrobial peptide mimic RK-758 against Acanthamoeba castellanii. RK-758 peptidomimetic was subjected to biological assays to investigate its amoebicidal, amoebistatic, anti-encystation, and anti-excystation effects on A. castellanii. The anti-amoebic activity of the peptide mimic RK-758 was compared with chlorhexidine against the Acanthamoeba castellanii ATCC30868 and Acanthamoeba castellanii 044 (a clinical strain) with the concentrations of both ranging from 125 µM down to 7.81 µM. All experiments were performed in duplicate with three independent replicates. The data were represented as mean ± SE and analysed using a two-sample t-test and two-tailed distributions. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The peptidomimetic RK-758 had anti-Acanthamoeba activity against both trophozoites and cysts in a dose-dependent manner. The RK-758 had amoebicidal and growth inhibitory activities of ≥50% at a concentration between 125 µM and 15.6 µM against the trophozoites of both Acanthamoeba strains. Inhibitory effects on the cyst formation and trophozoite re-emergence from cysts were noted at similar concentrations. Chlorhexidine had 50% activity at 7.81 µM and above against the trophozoites and cysts of both strains. In the haemolysis assay, the RK-758 lysed horse RBCs at concentrations greater than 50 µM whereas lysis occurred at concentrations greater than 125 µM for the chlorhexidine. The peptidomimetic RK-758, therefore, has activity against both the trophozoite and cyst forms of Acanthamoeba and has the potential to be further developed as an anti-microbial agent against Acanthamoeba. RK-758 may also have use as an anti-amoebic disinfectant in contact lens solutions.
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Lin J, Bekale LA, Molchanova N, Nielsen JE, Wright M, Bacacao B, Diamond G, Jenssen H, Santa Maria PL, Barron AE. Anti-persister and Anti-biofilm Activity of Self-Assembled Antimicrobial Peptoid Ellipsoidal Micelles. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:1823-1830. [PMID: 36018039 PMCID: PMC9469094 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Although persister cells are the root cause of resistance development and relapse of chronic infections, more attention has been focused on developing antimicrobial agents against resistant bacterial strains than on developing anti-persister agents. Frustratingly, the global preclinical antibacterial pipeline does not include any anti-persister drug. Therefore, the central point of this work is to explore antimicrobial peptidomimetics called peptoids (sequence-specific oligo-N-substituted glycines) as a new class of anti-persister drugs. In this study, we demonstrate that one particular antimicrobial peptoid, the sequence-specific pentamer TM5, is active against planktonic persister cells and sterilizes biofilms formed by both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Moreover, we demonstrate the potential of TM5 to inhibit cytokine production induced by lipopolysaccharides from Gram-negative bacteria. We anticipate that this work can pave the way to the development of new anti-persister agents based on antimicrobial peptoids of this class to simultaneously help address the crisis of bacterial resistance and reduce the occurrence of the relapse of chronic infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer
S. Lin
- Department
of Bioengineering, School of Medicine & School of Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Laurent A. Bekale
- Department
of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Natalia Molchanova
- The
Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Josefine Eilsø Nielsen
- Department
of Bioengineering, School of Medicine & School of Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States,Department
of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Megan Wright
- Department
of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Brian Bacacao
- Department
of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Gill Diamond
- Department
of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, United States
| | - Håvard Jenssen
- Department
of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Peter L. Santa Maria
- Department
of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States,
| | - Annelise E. Barron
- Department
of Bioengineering, School of Medicine & School of Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States,
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