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Mu Y, Wang Z, Song L, Ma K, Chen Y, Li P, Yan Z. Modulating lipid bilayer permeability and structure: Impact of hydrophobic chain length, C-3 hydroxyl group, and double bond in sphingosine. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 674:513-526. [PMID: 38943912 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.06.171] [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: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
Sphingosine, an amphiphilic molecule, plays a pivotal role as the core structure of sphingolipids, essential constituents of cell membranes. Its unique capability to enhance the permeability of lipid membranes profoundly influences crucial life processes. The molecular structure of sphingosine dictates its mode of entry into lipid bilayers and governs its interactions with lipids, thereby determining membrane permeability. However, the incomplete elucidation of the relationship between the molecular structure of sphingosine and the permeability of lipid membranes persists due to challenges associated with synthesizing sphingosine molecules. A series of sphingosine-derived molecules, featuring diverse hydrophobic chain lengths and distinct headgroup structure, were meticulously designed and successfully synthesized. These molecules were employed to investigate the permeability of large unilamellar vesicles, functioning as model lipid bilayers. With a decrease in the hydrophobic chain length of sphingosine from C15 to C11, the transient leakage ratio of vesicle contents escalated from ∼ 13 % to ∼ 28 %. Although the presence of double bond did not exert a pronounced influence on transient leakage, it significantly affected the continuous leakage ratio. Conversely, modifying the chirality of the C-3 hydroxyl group gives the opposite result. Notably, methylation at the C-3 hydroxyl significantly elevates transient leakage while suppressing the continuous leakage ratio. Additionally, sphingosines that significantly affect vesicle permeability tend to have a more pronounced impact on cell viability. Throughout this leakage process, the charge state of sphingosine-derived molecule aggregates in the solution emerged as a pivotal factor influencing vesicle permeability. Fluorescence lifetime experiments further revealed discernible variations in the effect of sphingosine molecular structure on the mobility of hydrophobic regions within lipid bilayers. These observed distinctions emphasize the impact of molecular structure on intermolecular interactions, extending to the microscopic architecture of membranes, and underscore the significance of subtle alterations in molecular structure and their associated aggregation behaviors in governing membrane permeability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghang Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Zi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, China.
| | - Linhua Song
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, China
| | - Kun Ma
- ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, STFC, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Yao Chen
- ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, STFC, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Peixun Li
- ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, STFC, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Zifeng Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, China.
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2
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Vasconcellos RS, Volpato JA, Silva IC. Bioactive peptides extracted from hydrolyzed animal byproducts for dogs and cats. Anim Front 2024; 14:38-45. [PMID: 38910953 PMCID: PMC11188960 DOI: 10.1093/af/vfae012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Josiane A Volpato
- Department of Animal Science, State University of Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil
| | - Ingrid C Silva
- Department of Animal Science, State University of Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil
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3
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Sheyi R, Mhlongo JT, Jorba M, Fusté E, Sharma A, Viñas M, Albericio F, Espinal P, de la Torre BG. 1,3,5-Triazine as Branching Connector for the Construction of Novel Antimicrobial Peptide Dendrimers: Synthesis and Biological Characterization. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5883. [PMID: 38892071 PMCID: PMC11172478 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Peptides displaying antimicrobial properties are being regarded as useful tools to evade and combat antimicrobial resistance, a major public health challenge. Here we have addressed dendrimers, attractive molecules in pharmaceutical innovation and development displaying broad biological activity. Triazine-based dendrimers were fully synthesized in the solid phase, and their antimicrobial activity and some insights into their mechanisms of action were explored. Triazine is present in a large number of compounds with highly diverse biological targets with broad biological activities and could be an excellent branching unit to accommodate peptides. Our results show that the novel peptide dendrimers synthesized have remarkable antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli and P. aeruginosa) and suggest that they may be useful in neutralizing the effect of efflux machinery on resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rotimi Sheyi
- Peptide Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; (R.S.); (J.T.M.); (A.S.); (F.A.)
| | - Jessica T. Mhlongo
- Peptide Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; (R.S.); (J.T.M.); (A.S.); (F.A.)
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Marta Jorba
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology & Antimicrobials, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, IDIBELL—University of Barcelona, Campus Bellvitge, 08907 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; (M.J.); (E.F.); (M.V.)
| | - Ester Fusté
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology & Antimicrobials, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, IDIBELL—University of Barcelona, Campus Bellvitge, 08907 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; (M.J.); (E.F.); (M.V.)
- Department of Public Health, Mental Health and Maternal and Child Health Nursing, University of Barcelona, Campus Bellvitge, 08907 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anamika Sharma
- Peptide Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; (R.S.); (J.T.M.); (A.S.); (F.A.)
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Miguel Viñas
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology & Antimicrobials, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, IDIBELL—University of Barcelona, Campus Bellvitge, 08907 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; (M.J.); (E.F.); (M.V.)
| | - Fernando Albericio
- Peptide Science Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; (R.S.); (J.T.M.); (A.S.); (F.A.)
- Networking Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franqués 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paula Espinal
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology & Antimicrobials, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, IDIBELL—University of Barcelona, Campus Bellvitge, 08907 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain; (M.J.); (E.F.); (M.V.)
| | - Beatriz G. de la Torre
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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4
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Aguilera-Puga MDC, Plisson F. Structure-aware machine learning strategies for antimicrobial peptide discovery. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11995. [PMID: 38796582 PMCID: PMC11127937 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62419-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Machine learning models are revolutionizing our approaches to discovering and designing bioactive peptides. These models often need protein structure awareness, as they heavily rely on sequential data. The models excel at identifying sequences of a particular biological nature or activity, but they frequently fail to comprehend their intricate mechanism(s) of action. To solve two problems at once, we studied the mechanisms of action and structural landscape of antimicrobial peptides as (i) membrane-disrupting peptides, (ii) membrane-penetrating peptides, and (iii) protein-binding peptides. By analyzing critical features such as dipeptides and physicochemical descriptors, we developed models with high accuracy (86-88%) in predicting these categories. However, our initial models (1.0 and 2.0) exhibited a bias towards α-helical and coiled structures, influencing predictions. To address this structural bias, we implemented subset selection and data reduction strategies. The former gave three structure-specific models for peptides likely to fold into α-helices (models 1.1 and 2.1), coils (1.3 and 2.3), or mixed structures (1.4 and 2.4). The latter depleted over-represented structures, leading to structure-agnostic predictors 1.5 and 2.5. Additionally, our research highlights the sensitivity of important features to different structure classes across models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana D C Aguilera-Puga
- Department of Biotechnology and Biochemistry, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV-IPN), Irapuato Unit, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Fabien Plisson
- Department of Biotechnology and Biochemistry, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV-IPN), Irapuato Unit, 36824, Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico.
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5
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Tran DVH, Luong HX, Kim DH, Lee BJ, Kim YW. Lysine-homologue substitution: Impact on antimicrobial activity and proteolytic stability of cationic stapled heptapeptides. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 106:117735. [PMID: 38714021 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117735] [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: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Numerous natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) exhibit a cationic amphipathic helical conformation, wherein cationic amino acids, such as lysine and arginine, play pivotal roles in antimicrobial activity by aiding initial attraction to negatively charged bacterial membranes. Expanding on our previous work, which introduced a de novo design of amphipathic helices within cationic heptapeptides using an 'all-hydrocarbon peptide stapling' approach, we investigated the impact of lysine-homologue substitution on helix formation, antimicrobial activity, hemolytic activity, and proteolytic stability of these novel AMPs. Our results demonstrate that substituting lysine with ornithine enhances both the antimicrobial activity and proteolytic stability of the stapled heptapeptide AMP series, while maintaining low hemolytic activity. This finding underscores lysine-homologue substitution as a valuable strategy for optimizing the therapeutic potential of diverse cationic AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duc V H Tran
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang 10326, Republic of Korea; Intergrated Research Institute for Drug Development, College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang 10326, Republic of Korea
| | - Huy X Luong
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang 10326, Republic of Korea; Intergrated Research Institute for Drug Development, College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang 10326, Republic of Korea
| | - Do-Hee Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Bong-Jin Lee
- College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Woo Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang 10326, Republic of Korea; Intergrated Research Institute for Drug Development, College of Pharmacy, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang 10326, Republic of Korea.
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6
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Duché G, Sanderson JM. The Chemical Reactivity of Membrane Lipids. Chem Rev 2024; 124:3284-3330. [PMID: 38498932 PMCID: PMC10979411 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
It is well-known that aqueous dispersions of phospholipids spontaneously assemble into bilayer structures. These structures have numerous applications across chemistry and materials science and form the fundamental structural unit of the biological membrane. The particular environment of the lipid bilayer, with a water-poor low dielectric core surrounded by a more polar and better hydrated interfacial region, gives the membrane particular biophysical and physicochemical properties and presents a unique environment for chemical reactions to occur. Many different types of molecule spanning a range of sizes, from dissolved gases through small organics to proteins, are able to interact with membranes and promote chemical changes to lipids that subsequently affect the physicochemical properties of the bilayer. This Review describes the chemical reactivity exhibited by lipids in their membrane form, with an emphasis on conditions where the lipids are well hydrated in the form of bilayers. Key topics include the following: lytic reactions of glyceryl esters, including hydrolysis, aminolysis, and transesterification; oxidation reactions of alkenes in unsaturated fatty acids and sterols, including autoxidation and oxidation by singlet oxygen; reactivity of headgroups, particularly with reactive carbonyl species; and E/Z isomerization of alkenes. The consequences of reactivity for biological activity and biophysical properties are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genevieve Duché
- Génie
Enzimatique et Cellulaire, Université
Technologique de Compiègne, Compiègne 60200, France
| | - John M Sanderson
- Chemistry
Department, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
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Nazarian-Firouzabadi F, Torres MDT, de la Fuente-Nunez C. Recombinant production of antimicrobial peptides in plants. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 71:108296. [PMID: 38042311 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108296] [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: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Classical plant breeding methods are limited in their ability to confer disease resistance on plants. However, in recent years, advancements in molecular breeding and biotechnological have provided new approaches to overcome these limitations and protect plants from disease. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute promising agents that may be able to protect against infectious agents. Recently, peptides have been recombinantly produced in plants at scale and low cost. Because AMPs are less likely than conventional antimicrobials to elicit resistance of pathogenic bacteria, they open up exciting new avenues for agricultural applications. Here, we review recent advances in the design and production of bioactive recombinant AMPs that can effectively protect crop plants from diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhad Nazarian-Firouzabadi
- Production Engineering and Plant Genetics Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, P.O. Box, 465, Khorramabad, Iran.
| | - Marcelo Der Torossian Torres
- Machine Biology Group, Departments of Psychiatry and Microbiology, Institute for Biomedical Informatics, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America; Departments of Bioengineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America; Penn Institute for Computational Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Cesar de la Fuente-Nunez
- Machine Biology Group, Departments of Psychiatry and Microbiology, Institute for Biomedical Informatics, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America; Departments of Bioengineering and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America; Penn Institute for Computational Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America.
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8
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Reinseth I, Diep DB, Kjos M, Tønnesen HH, Carlsen H. Exploring the feasibility of bacteriocins EntK1 and EntEJ97s in treatment of systemic vancomycin resistant enterococci infections in mice. J Appl Microbiol 2024; 135:lxae054. [PMID: 38439668 DOI: 10.1093/jambio/lxae054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Enterocins K1 and EJ97 have specific antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis, respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of these enterocins for in vivo treatment of systemic enterococcal infections. METHODS AND RESULTS The antimicrobial effect in blood was analysed and compared against the effect in saline. Colony forming unit counts revealed that the enterocins killed all the bacteria within 1 hour. Additionally, the bactericidal effect against E. faecalis was more rapid in blood, indicating a possible synergy between EntEJ97 and blood. Importantly, no enterocin resistant mutants emerged in these experiments. Injecting the enterocins intraperitoneally in an in vivo mouse model and using fluorescence and minimum inhibitory concentration determination to estimate concentrations of the peptides in plasma, indicate that the enterocins exist in circulation in therapeutic concentrations. Alanine aminotransferase detection, and haemolysis analysis indicates that there is no detectable liver damage or haemolytic effect after injection. CONCLUSIONS The study revealed that EntK1 and EntEJ97 are able to kill all bacteria ex vivo in the presence of blood. In vivo experiments determine that the enterocins exist in circulation in therapeutic concentrations without causing liver damage or haemolysis. Future experiments should test these peptides for treatment of infection in a relevant in vivo model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingvild Reinseth
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Dzung B Diep
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Morten Kjos
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Hanne H Tønnesen
- Section of Pharmaceutics and Social Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1068 Blindern 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Harald Carlsen
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003 1432 Ås, Norway
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Kamel M, Aleya S, Alsubih M, Aleya L. Microbiome Dynamics: A Paradigm Shift in Combatting Infectious Diseases. J Pers Med 2024; 14:217. [PMID: 38392650 PMCID: PMC10890469 DOI: 10.3390/jpm14020217] [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: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases have long posed a significant threat to global health and require constant innovation in treatment approaches. However, recent groundbreaking research has shed light on a previously overlooked player in the pathogenesis of disease-the human microbiome. This review article addresses the intricate relationship between the microbiome and infectious diseases and unravels its role as a crucial mediator of host-pathogen interactions. We explore the remarkable potential of harnessing this dynamic ecosystem to develop innovative treatment strategies that could revolutionize the management of infectious diseases. By exploring the latest advances and emerging trends, this review aims to provide a new perspective on combating infectious diseases by targeting the microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Kamel
- Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 11221, Egypt
| | - Sami Aleya
- Faculty of Medecine, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Hauts-du-Chazal, 25030 Besançon, France
| | - Majed Alsubih
- Department of Civil Engineering, King Khalid University, Guraiger, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lotfi Aleya
- Laboratoire de Chrono-Environnement, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UMR CNRS 6249, La Bouloie, 25030 Besançon, France
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Alpízar-Pedraza D, Roque-Diaz Y, Garay-Pérez H, Rosenau F, Ständker L, Montero-Alejo V. Insights into the Adsorption Mechanisms of the Antimicrobial Peptide CIDEM-501 on Membrane Models. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:167. [PMID: 38391553 PMCID: PMC10886324 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13020167] [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: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
CIDEM-501 is a hybrid antimicrobial peptide rationally designed based on the structure of panusin and panulirin template peptides. The new peptide exhibits significant antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens (MIC = 2-4 μM) while conserving no toxicity in human cell lines. We conducted molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the CHARMM-36 force field to explore the CIDEM-501 adsorption mechanism with different membrane compositions. Several parameters that characterize these interactions were analyzed to elucidate individual residues' structural and thermodynamic contributions. The membrane models were constructed using CHARMM-GUI, mimicking the bacterial and eukaryotic phospholipid compositions. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted over 500 ns, showing rapid and highly stable peptide adsorption to bacterial lipids components rather than the zwitterionic eucaryotic model membrane. A predominant peptide orientation was observed in all models dominated by an electric dipole. The peptide remained parallel to the membrane surface with the center loop oriented to the lipids. Our findings shed light on the antibacterial activity of CIDEM-501 on bacterial membranes and yield insights valuable for designing potent antimicrobial peptides targeting multi- and extreme drug-resistant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Alpízar-Pedraza
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Ave. 26 # 1605, Nuevo Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana 10400, Cuba
| | - Yessica Roque-Diaz
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Ave. 26 # 1605, Nuevo Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana 10400, Cuba
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 12, 60131 Ancona, Italy
| | - Hilda Garay-Pérez
- Peptide Synthesis Group, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Ave. 31 e/158 y 190, Playa, Habana 11600, Cuba
| | - Frank Rosenau
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Ludger Ständker
- Core Facility for Functional Peptidomics, Ulm Peptide Pharmaceuticals (U-PEP), Faculty of Medicine, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Vivian Montero-Alejo
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Ave. 26 # 1605, Nuevo Vedado, Ciudad de La Habana 10400, Cuba
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11
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Velayatipour F, Tarrahimofrad H, Zamani J, Fotouhi F, Aminzadeh S. In-vitro antimicrobial activity of AF-DP protein and in-silico approach of cell membrane disruption. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-18. [PMID: 38319027 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2308763] [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: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Microbial resistance against common antibiotics has become one of the most serious threats to human health. The increasing statistics on this problem show the necessity of finding a way to deal with it. In recent years, antimicrobial peptides with unique properties and the capability of targeting a wide range of pathogens, have been considered as a potential for replacing common antibiotics. A small chitin-binding protein with anticandidal activity was isolated from Moringa oleifera seeds by Neto and colleagues in 2017, which very much resembled antimicrobial peptides. In this study, the antimicrobial protein 'AF-DP' was identified and characterized. AF-DP was heterologously expressed, purified, and characterized, and its 3D structure was predicted. Six molecular dynamic simulations were performed to investigate how the protein interacts with Gram-negative inner and outer, Gram-positive, fungal, cancerous, and normal mammalian membranes. Also, its antimicrobial and anticancer activity was assessed in vitro via minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and MTT assays, respectively. This protein with 111 amino acids and a total net charge (of 10.5) has been predicted to be mainly composed of alpha helix and random coils. Its MIC affecting the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans was 30 µg/ml, 100 µg/ml, and 100 µg/ml, respectively; AF-DP showed anticancer activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Scanning electron microscopic analysis confirmed the creation of pores and scratches on the surface of the bacterial membrane. The results of this research show that AF-DP can be a candidate for the production of new drugs as an AMP with antimicrobial activity.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Velayatipour
- Bioprocess Engineering Group, Institute of Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Tarrahimofrad
- Bioprocess Engineering Group, Institute of Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
| | - Javad Zamani
- Bioprocess Engineering Group, Institute of Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Fotouhi
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saeed Aminzadeh
- Bioprocess Engineering Group, Institute of Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
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12
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Jaber SA, Saadh MJ. Biological activity comparison between ciprofloxacin loaded to silica nanoparticles and silver nanoparticles for the inhibition of Brucella melitensis. Vet World 2024; 17:407-412. [PMID: 38595656 PMCID: PMC11000480 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.407-412] [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: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim Brucella melitensis is responsible for brucellosis, a highly contagious, life-threatening disease that has a high impact in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to compare silica nanoparticles (SiO-NPs) loaded with ciprofloxacin with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) loaded with ciprofloxacin to evaluate the possible replacement of silver by silica to enhance biological activity and reduce cytotoxicity. Materials and Methods SiO-NPs and AgNPs loaded with ciprofloxacin were characterized using ultraviolet spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering microscopy for size demonstration and loading efficiency. Both nanoparticles were treated with B. melitensis Rev 1 to evaluate their biological activity. Nanoparticle toxicity was also evaluated using cytotoxicity and hemolysis assays. Results SiO-NP was found to have a smaller size (80 nm) and higher loading efficiency with polydispersity index and zeta potential of 0.43 and 30.7 mV, respectively, compared to Ag-NP (180 nm and 0.62 and 28.3 mV, respectively). SiO-NP was potent with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.043 μg/mL compared to Ag-NP (0.049 μg/mL), with a lower cytotoxicity and hemolysis activity. Conclusion SiO-NP, as a drug delivery system for ciprofloxacin, has better antimicrobial activity against B. melitensis with lower cytotoxicity and hemolysis activity. These results can be attributed to the enhanced physical characterization and better loading efficiency when compared to Ag-NP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saif Aldeen Jaber
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan
- Applied Science Research Centre, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan
| | - Mohamed J. Saadh
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Middle East University, Amman, Jordan
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Goki NH, Tehranizadeh ZA, Saberi MR, Khameneh B, Bazzaz BSF. Structure, Function, and Physicochemical Properties of Pore-forming Antimicrobial Peptides. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2024; 25:1041-1057. [PMID: 37921126 DOI: 10.2174/0113892010194428231017051836] [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: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), a class of antimicrobial agents, possess considerable potential to treat various microbial ailments. The broad range of activity and rare complete bacterial resistance to AMPs make them ideal candidates for commercial development. These peptides with widely varying compositions and sources share recurrent structural and functional features in mechanisms of action. Studying the mechanisms of AMP activity against bacteria may lead to the development of new antimicrobial agents that are more potent. Generally, AMPs are effective against bacteria by forming pores or disrupting membrane barriers. The important structural aspects of cytoplasmic membranes of pathogens and host cells will also be outlined to understand the selective antimicrobial actions. The antimicrobial activities of AMPs are related to multiple physicochemical properties, such as length, sequence, helicity, charge, hydrophobicity, amphipathicity, polar angle, and also self-association. These parameters are interrelated and need to be considered in combination. So, gathering the most relevant available information will help to design and choose the most effective AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narjes Hosseini Goki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Control, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Zeinab Amiri Tehranizadeh
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Saberi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Bahman Khameneh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Control, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Bibi Sedigheh Fazly Bazzaz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Control, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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14
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Venkata Subbiah H, Ramesh Babu P, Subbiah U. The Role of β-Defensin 1 Against Porphyromonas gingivalis Lipopolysaccharide-Mediated Inflammation in the THP-1 Cell Line. Cureus 2023; 15:e50880. [PMID: 38249288 PMCID: PMC10799292 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.50880] [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] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS) is one of the crucial virulence factors of periodontitis. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are emerging as alternatives or adjuncts to antibiotics in the treatment of microbial infections. In this study, cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-oxidative stress, cell cycle analysis, and apoptosis properties of AMP, β-defensin 1, were studied in Pg-LPS-stimulated THP-1 (Tohoku Hospital Pediatrics - 1) cell line. Methods The cytotoxic nature of Pg-LPS and β-defensin 1 was studied by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) method. The cytotoxic effect of β-defensin 1 on Pg-LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells was also studied by the same method. The anti-inflammatory role of β-defensin 1 against cyclooxygenase (COX), lipoxygenase (LOX), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and inducible nitric oxide synthase activities were studied. The anti-oxidative nature of β-defensin 1 was analyzed by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) assay. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were studied by flow cytometry. The hemolytic nature of β-defensin 1 was predicted using the HemoPred web tool. Results The results of the study demonstrated that Pg-LPS showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity to THP-1 cells. β-Defensin 1 had dose-dependent cytotoxicity to THP-1 cells and showed a protective effect on THP-cells up to 1 µg/mL of Pg-LPS, beyond which cell viability decreased. β-Defensin 1 inhibited COX, LOX, MPO, and inducible nitric oxide synthase activities in a concentration-dependent manner. β-Defensin 1 showed anti-oxidative activity by suppressing the generation of ROS measured through fluorescence intensity. From the cell cycle analysis, it was found that β-defensin 1 was able to reduce the Pg-LPS-induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. From the apoptosis profile, β-defensin 1 was found to increase the live cells when compared to THP-1 cells stimulated only with Pg-LPS, indicating that β-defensin 1 provided a protective role to THP-1 cells. β-Defensin 1 was found to be hemolytic in nature by the HemoPred web tool. Conclusion β-Defensin 1 exerted multifunctional activities and can be considered a promising agent for controlling periodontitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harini Venkata Subbiah
- Human Genetics Research Centre, Sree Balaji Dental College & Hospital, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, IND
| | - Polani Ramesh Babu
- Centre for Materials Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, IND
| | - Usha Subbiah
- Human Genetics Research Centre, Sree Balaji Dental College & Hospital, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, IND
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15
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Buonocore F, Saraceni PR, Taddei AR, Miccoli A, Porcelli F, Borocci S, Gerdol M, Bugli F, Sanguinetti M, Fausto AM, Scapigliati G, Picchietti S. Antibacterial and anticancer activity of two NK-lysin-derived peptides from the Antarctic teleost Trematomus bernacchii. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2023; 142:109099. [PMID: 37734650 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2023.109099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
The NK-lysin antimicrobial peptide, first identified in mammals, possesses both antibacterial and cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines. Homologue peptides isolated from different fish species have been examined for their functional characteristics in the last few years. In this study, a NK-lysin transcript was identified in silico from the head kidney transcriptome of the Antarctic teleost Trematomus bernacchii. The corresponding amino acid sequence, slightly longer than NK-lysins of other fish species, contains six cysteine residues that in mammalian counterparts form three disulphide bridges. Real time-PCR analysis indicated its predominant expression in T. bernacchii immune-related organs and tissues, with greatest mRNA abundance detected in gills and spleen. Instead of focusing on the full T. bernacchii derived NK-lysin mature molecule, we selected a 27 amino acid residue peptide (named NKL-WT), corresponding to the potent antibiotic NK-2 sequence found in human NK-lysin. Moreover, we designed a mutant peptide (named NKL-MUT) in which two alanine residues substitute the two cysteines found in the NKL-WT. The two peptides were obtained by solid phase organic synthesis to investigate their functional features. NKL-WT and NKL-MUT displayed antibacterial activity against the human pathogenic bacterium Enterococcus faecalis and the ESKAPE pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, respectively. Moreover, at the determined Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration values against these pathogens, both peptides showed high selectivity as they did not exhibit any haemolytic activity on erythrocytes or cytotoxic activity against mammalian primary cell lines. Finally, the NKL-MUT selectively triggers the killing of the melanoma cell line B16F10 by means of a pro-apoptotic pathway at a concentration range in which no effects were found in normal mammalian cell lines. In conclusion, the two peptides could be considered as promising candidates in the fight against antibiotic resistance and tumour proliferative action, and also be used as innovative adjuvants, either to decrease chemotherapy side effects or to enhance anticancer drug activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Buonocore
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - P R Saraceni
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy; Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development (ENEA), Division of Health Protection Technologies, 00123, Rome, Italy
| | - A R Taddei
- Center of Large Equipments, Section of Electron Microscopy, University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università Snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - A Miccoli
- National Research Council, Inst. for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology, 60125, Ancona, Italy
| | - F Porcelli
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - S Borocci
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy; National Research Council, Inst. for Biological Systems (ISB-CNR) Secondary Office of Rome-Reaction Mechanisms c/o Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - M Gerdol
- Dept. of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - F Bugli
- Dept. of Basic Biotechnological Sciences, Intensive and Perioperative Clinics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, 00168, Italy; Dept. of Laboratory Sciences and Infectious Diseases, A. Gemelli University Hospital Foundation IRCCS, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - M Sanguinetti
- Dept. of Basic Biotechnological Sciences, Intensive and Perioperative Clinics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, 00168, Italy; Dept. of Laboratory Sciences and Infectious Diseases, A. Gemelli University Hospital Foundation IRCCS, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - A M Fausto
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - G Scapigliati
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - S Picchietti
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy.
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16
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Kannoth S, Ali N, Prasanth GK, Arvind K, Mohany M, Hembrom PS, Sadanandan S, Vasu DA, Grace T. Transcriptome analysis of Corvus splendens reveals a repertoire of antimicrobial peptides. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18728. [PMID: 37907616 PMCID: PMC10618271 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45875-w] [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: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Multidrug resistance has become a global health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. Antimicrobial peptides have been acknowledged as potential leads for prospective anti-infectives. Owing to their scavenging lifestyle, Corvus splendens is thought to have developed robust immunity to pathogens found in their diet, implying that they have evolved mechanisms to resist infection. In the current study, the transcriptome of C. splendens was sequenced, and de novo assembled to identify the presence of antimicrobial peptide genes. 72.09 million high-quality clean reads were obtained which were then de novo assembled into 3,43,503 transcripts and 74,958 unigenes. About 37,559 unigenes were successfully annotated using SwissProt, Pfam, GO, and KEGG databases. A search against APD3, CAMPR3 and LAMP databases identified 63 AMP candidates belonging to more than 20 diverse families and functional classes. mRNA of AvBD-2, AvBD-13 and CATH-2 were found to be differentially expressed between the three tested crows as well as among the tissues. We also characterized Corvus Cathelicidin 2 (CATH-2) to gain knowledge of its antimicrobial mechanisms. The CD spectroscopy of synthesized mature Corvus CATH-2 peptide displayed an amphipathic α-helical structure. Though the synthetic CATH-2 caused hemolysis of human RBC, it also exhibited antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and B. cereus. Docking simulation results revealed that this peptide could bind to the LPS binding site of MD-2, which may prevent LPS from entering the MD-2 binding pocket, and trigger TLR4 signaling pathway. The Corvus CATH-2 characterized in this study could aid in the development of novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shalini Kannoth
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Nemat Ali
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ganesh K Prasanth
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Kumar Arvind
- Neurogenetics Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Mohamed Mohany
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Preety Sweta Hembrom
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Shemmy Sadanandan
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Deepa Azhchath Vasu
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Tony Grace
- Department of Genomic Science, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India.
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17
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Carrera-Aubesart A, Gallo M, Defaus S, Todorovski T, Andreu D. Topoisomeric Membrane-Active Peptides: A Review of the Last Two Decades. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2451. [PMID: 37896211 PMCID: PMC10610229 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15102451] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, bioactive peptides have been gaining recognition in various biomedical areas, such as intracellular drug delivery (cell-penetrating peptides, CPPs) or anti-infective action (antimicrobial peptides, AMPs), closely associated to their distinct mode of interaction with biological membranes. Exploiting the interaction of membrane-active peptides with diverse targets (healthy, tumoral, bacterial or parasitic cell membranes) is opening encouraging prospects for peptides in therapeutics. However, ordinary peptides formed by L-amino acids are easily decomposed by proteases in biological fluids. One way to sidestep this limitation is to use topoisomers, namely versions of the peptide made up of D-amino acids in either canonic (enantio) or inverted (retroenantio) sequence. Rearranging peptide sequences in this fashion provides a certain degree of native structure mimicry that, in appropriate contexts, may deliver desirable biological activity while avoiding protease degradation. In this review, we will focus on recent accounts of membrane-active topoisomeric peptides with therapeutic applications as CPP drug delivery vectors, or as antimicrobial and anticancer candidates. We will also discuss the most common modes of interaction of these peptides with their membrane targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Carrera-Aubesart
- Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (A.C.-A.); (M.G.); (S.D.); (T.T.)
| | - Maria Gallo
- Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (A.C.-A.); (M.G.); (S.D.); (T.T.)
| | - Sira Defaus
- Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (A.C.-A.); (M.G.); (S.D.); (T.T.)
| | - Toni Todorovski
- Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (A.C.-A.); (M.G.); (S.D.); (T.T.)
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - David Andreu
- Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (A.C.-A.); (M.G.); (S.D.); (T.T.)
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18
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Mourenza A, Ganesan R, Camarero JA. Resistance is futile: targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria with de novo Cys-rich cyclic polypeptides. RSC Chem Biol 2023; 4:722-735. [PMID: 37799576 PMCID: PMC10549238 DOI: 10.1039/d3cb00015j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The search for novel antimicrobial agents to combat microbial pathogens is intensifying in response to rapid drug resistance development to current antibiotic therapeutics. The use of disulfide-rich head-to-tail cyclized polypeptides as molecular frameworks for designing a new type of peptide antibiotics is gaining increasing attention among the scientific community and the pharmaceutical industry. The use of macrocyclic peptides, further constrained by the presence of several disulfide bonds, makes these peptide frameworks remarkably more stable to thermal, biological, and chemical degradation showing better activities when compared to their linear analogs. Many of these novel peptide scaffolds have been shown to have a high tolerance to sequence variability in those residues not involved in disulfide bonds, able to cross biological membranes, and efficiently target complex biomolecular interactions. Hence, these unique properties make the use of these scaffolds ideal for many biotechnological applications, including the design of novel peptide antibiotics. This article provides an overview of the new developments in the use of several disulfide-rich cyclic polypeptides, including cyclotides, θ-defensins, and sunflower trypsin inhibitor peptides, among others, in the development of novel antimicrobial peptides against multidrug-resistant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Mourenza
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy Los Angeles CA90033 USA +1-(323) 442-1417
| | - Rajasekaran Ganesan
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy Los Angeles CA90033 USA +1-(323) 442-1417
| | - Julio A Camarero
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy Los Angeles CA90033 USA +1-(323) 442-1417
- Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California Los Angeles CA90033 USA
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19
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Yao A, Ma Y, Sun R, Zou W, Chen X, Zhou M, Ma C, Chen T, Shaw C, Wang L. A Designed Analog of an Antimicrobial Peptide, Crabrolin, Exhibits Enhanced Anti-Proliferative and In Vivo Antimicrobial Activity. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14472. [PMID: 37833918 PMCID: PMC10572522 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides have gradually attracted interest as promising alternatives to conventional agents to control the worldwide health threats posed by antibiotic resistance and cancer. Crabrolin is a tridecapeptide extracted from the venom of the European hornet (Vespa crabro). Its antibacterial and anticancer potentials have been underrated compared to other peptides discovered from natural resources. Herein, a series of analogs were designed based on the template sequence of crabrolin to study its structure-activity relationship and enhance the drug's potential by changing the number, type, and distribution of charged residues. The cationicity-enhanced derivatives were shown to have improved antibacterial and anticancer activities with a lower toxicity. Notably, the double-arginine-modified product, crabrolin-TR, possessed a potent capacity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 4 μM), which was around thirty times stronger than the parent peptide (MIC = 128 μM). Furthermore, crabrolin-TR showed an in vivo treatment efficacy in a Klebsiella-pneumoniae-infected waxworm model and was non-toxic under its maximum MBC value (MIC = 8 μM), indicating its therapeutic potency and better selectivity. Overall, we rationally designed functional peptides by progressively increasing the number and distribution of charged residues, demonstrating new insights for developing therapeutic molecules from natural resources with enhanced properties, and proposed crabrolin-TR as an appealing antibacterial and anticancer agent candidate for development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aifang Yao
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Yingxue Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Ruize Sun
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Wanchen Zou
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Xiaoling Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Mei Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Chengbang Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Tianbao Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Chris Shaw
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.M.); (R.S.); (X.C.); (M.Z.); (C.M.); (T.C.); (C.S.); (L.W.)
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20
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Guryanova SV, Balandin SV, Belogurova-Ovchinnikova OY, Ovchinnikova TV. Marine Invertebrate Antimicrobial Peptides and Their Potential as Novel Peptide Antibiotics. Mar Drugs 2023; 21:503. [PMID: 37888438 PMCID: PMC10608444 DOI: 10.3390/md21100503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine invertebrates constantly interact with a wide range of microorganisms in their aquatic environment and possess an effective defense system that has enabled their existence for millions of years. Their lack of acquired immunity sets marine invertebrates apart from other marine animals. Invertebrates could rely on their innate immunity, providing the first line of defense, survival, and thriving. The innate immune system of marine invertebrates includes various biologically active compounds, and specifically, antimicrobial peptides. Nowadays, there is a revive of interest in these peptides due to the urgent need to discover novel drugs against antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, a pressing global concern in modern healthcare. Modern technologies offer extensive possibilities for the development of innovative drugs based on these compounds, which can act against bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses. This review focuses on structural peculiarities, biological functions, gene expression, biosynthesis, mechanisms of antimicrobial action, regulatory activities, and prospects for the therapeutic use of antimicrobial peptides derived from marine invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana V. Guryanova
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (S.V.G.); (S.V.B.)
- Medical Institute, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, 117198 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey V. Balandin
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (S.V.G.); (S.V.B.)
| | | | - Tatiana V. Ovchinnikova
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (S.V.G.); (S.V.B.)
- Phystech School of Biological and Medical Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701 Dolgoprudny, Russia;
- Department of Biotechnology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
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21
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Singh A, Amod A, Mulpuru V, Mishra N, Sahoo AK, Samanta SK. Finding Novel AMPs Secreted from the Human Microbiome as Potent Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Agents and Studying Their Synergistic Activity with Ag NCs. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2023; 6:3674-3682. [PMID: 37603700 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c00302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Due to the enhanced resistance of bacteria to antibiotics, researchers always try to find effective alternatives to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections. In this context, we have explored antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are a broad class of small peptide molecules, and investigated their efficacy as potent antibacterial and antibiofilm agents. AMPs can cause cell death either through disruption of the cell membrane or by inhibiting vital intracellular functions, by binding to RNA, DNA, or intracellular components upon transversion through the cell membrane. We attempted to find potent intracellular cationic AMPs that can demonstrate antibacterial activity through interaction with DNA. As a source of AMPs, we have utilized those that are secreted from the human microbiome with the anticipation that these will be non-toxic in nature. Out of the total 1087 AMPs, 27 were screened on the basis of amino acid length and efficacy to cross the cell membrane barrier. From the list of 27 peptides, 4 candidates were selected through the docking score of these peptides with the DNA binding domain of H2A proteins. Further, the molecular dynamics simulation analysis demonstrated that 2 AMPs, i.e., peptides 7 and 25, are having considerable membrane permeation and DNA binding ability. Further, the in vitro analysis indicated that both peptides 7 and 25 could exhibit potent antibacterial and antibiofilm activities. In order to further enhance the antibiofilm potency, the above AMPs were used as supplements to silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs) to get synergistic activity. The synergistic activity of Ag NCs was found to be significantly increased with both the above AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirudh Singh
- Department of Applied Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Allahabad 211012, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ayush Amod
- Department of Applied Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Allahabad 211012, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Viswajit Mulpuru
- Department of Applied Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Allahabad 211012, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Nidhi Mishra
- Department of Applied Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Allahabad 211012, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Amaresh Kumar Sahoo
- Department of Applied Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Allahabad 211012, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sintu Kumar Samanta
- Department of Applied Sciences, Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad, Allahabad 211012, Uttar Pradesh, India
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22
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Chen X, Su S, Yan Y, Yin L, Liu L. Anti- Pseudomonas aeruginosa activity of natural antimicrobial peptides when used alone or in combination with antibiotics. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1239540. [PMID: 37731929 PMCID: PMC10508351 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1239540] [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: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The World Health Organization has recently published a list of 12 drug-resistant bacteria that posed a significant threat to human health, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) was among them. In China, P. aeruginosa is a common pathogen in hospital acquired pneumonia, accounting for 16.9-22.0%. It is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen that can infect individuals with weakened immune systems, leading to hospital-acquired acute and systemic infections. The excessive use of antibiotics has led to the development of various mechanisms in P. aeruginosa to resist conventional drugs. Thus, there is an emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, posing a major challenge to conventional antibiotics and therapeutic approaches. Antimicrobial peptides are an integral component of host defense and have been found in many living organisms. Most antimicrobial peptides are characterized by negligible host toxicity and low resistance rates, making them become promising for use as antimicrobial products. This review particularly focuses on summarizing the inhibitory activity of natural antimicrobial peptides against P. aeruginosa planktonic cells and biofilms, as well as the drug interactions when these peptides used in combination with conventional antibiotics. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of these antimicrobial peptides against P. aeruginosa strains was mainly related to destroy the membrane structure through interacting with LPS or increasing ROS levels, or targeting cellular components, leaded to cell lysis. Hopefully, this analysis will provide valuable experimental data on developing novel compounds to combat P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueqi Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Shan Su
- Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Taian City Central Hospital of Qingdao University, Taian, China
| | - Yan Yan
- Department of Pharmacy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Limei Yin
- Department of Pharmacy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lihong Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
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23
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Mhlongo JT, Waddad AY, Albericio F, de la Torre BG. Antimicrobial Peptide Synergies for Fighting Infectious Diseases. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2300472. [PMID: 37407512 PMCID: PMC10502873 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are essential elements of thehost defense system. Characterized by heterogenous structures and broad-spectrumaction, they are promising candidates for combating multidrug resistance. Thecombined use of AMPs with other antimicrobial agents provides a new arsenal ofdrugs with synergistic action, thereby overcoming the drawback of monotherapiesduring infections. AMPs kill microbes via pore formation, thus inhibitingintracellular functions. This mechanism of action by AMPs is an advantage overantibiotics as it hinders the development of drug resistance. The synergisticeffect of AMPs will allow the repurposing of conventional antimicrobials andenhance their clinical outcomes, reduce toxicity, and, most significantly,prevent the development of resistance. In this review, various synergies ofAMPs with antimicrobials and miscellaneous agents are discussed. The effect ofstructural diversity and chemical modification on AMP properties is firstaddressed and then different combinations that can lead to synergistic action,whether this combination is between AMPs and antimicrobials, or AMPs andmiscellaneous compounds, are attended. This review can serve as guidance whenredesigning and repurposing the use of AMPs in combination with other antimicrobialagents for enhanced clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica T. Mhlongo
- KwaZulu‐Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP)School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical SciencesCollege of Health SciencesUniversity of KwaZulu‐NatalDurban4041South Africa
- Peptide Science LaboratorySchool of Chemistry and PhysicsUniversity of KwaZulu‐NatalWestvilleDurban4000South Africa
| | - Ayman Y. Waddad
- Peptide Science LaboratorySchool of Chemistry and PhysicsUniversity of KwaZulu‐NatalWestvilleDurban4000South Africa
| | - Fernando Albericio
- Peptide Science LaboratorySchool of Chemistry and PhysicsUniversity of KwaZulu‐NatalWestvilleDurban4000South Africa
- CIBER‐BBNNetworking Centre on BioengineeringBiomaterials and Nanomedicineand Department of Organic ChemistryUniversity of BarcelonaBarcelona08028Spain
| | - Beatriz G. de la Torre
- KwaZulu‐Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP)School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical SciencesCollege of Health SciencesUniversity of KwaZulu‐NatalDurban4041South Africa
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24
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Trejos M, Aristizabal Y, Aragón-Muriel A, Oñate-Garzón J, Liscano Y. Characterization and Classification In Silico of Peptides with Dual Activity (Antimicrobial and Wound Healing). Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13091. [PMID: 37685896 PMCID: PMC10487549 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The growing challenge of chronic wounds and antibiotic resistance has spotlighted the potential of dual-function peptides (antimicrobial and wound healing) as novel therapeutic strategies. The investigation aimed to characterize and correlate in silico the physicochemical attributes of these peptides with their biological activity. We sourced a dataset of 207 such peptides from various peptide databases, followed by a detailed analysis of their physicochemical properties using bioinformatic tools. Utilizing statistical tools like clustering, correlation, and principal component analysis (PCA), patterns and relationships were discerned among these properties. Furthermore, we analyzed the peptides' functional domains for insights into their potential mechanisms of action. Our findings spotlight peptides in Cluster 2 as efficacious in wound healing, whereas Cluster 1 peptides exhibited pronounced antimicrobial potential. In our study, we identified specific amino acid patterns and peptide families associated with their biological activities, such as the cecropin antimicrobial domain. Additionally, we found the presence of polar amino acids like arginine, cysteine, and lysine, as well as apolar amino acids like glycine, isoleucine, and leucine. These characteristics are crucial for interactions with bacterial membranes and receptors involved in migration, proliferation, angiogenesis, and immunomodulation. While this study provides a groundwork for therapeutic development, translating these findings into practical applications necessitates additional experimental and clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Trejos
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud Integral (GISI), Departamento Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Cali 760035, Colombia;
| | - Yesid Aristizabal
- Grupo de Investigación en Química y Biotecnología (QUIBIO), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Cali 760035, Colombia; (Y.A.); (J.O.-G.)
| | - Alberto Aragón-Muriel
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Catálisis y Procesos (LICAP), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad del Valle, Cali 760001, Colombia;
- Grupo de Investigación e Innovación en Biotecnología (BITI), Tecnoparque Nodo Valle, Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA), Cali 760044, Colombia
| | - José Oñate-Garzón
- Grupo de Investigación en Química y Biotecnología (QUIBIO), Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Cali 760035, Colombia; (Y.A.); (J.O.-G.)
| | - Yamil Liscano
- Grupo de Investigación en Salud Integral (GISI), Departamento Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santiago de Cali, Cali 760035, Colombia;
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25
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Kalyvas JT, Facal Marina P, Stachura DL, Horsley JR, Abell AD. Smart Wearable Patches Using Light-Controlled Activation and Delivery of Photoswitchable Antimicrobial Peptides. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202301487. [PMID: 37309073 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202301487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A novel strategy to treat Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) skin infections is presented, where UV light is used to facilitate concomitant light-controlled activation and delivery of an antimicrobial therapeutic agent. Specifically, a new photoswitchable gramicidin S analogue was immobilized onto a polymeric wearable patch via a photocleavable linker that undergoes photolysis at the same wavelength of light required for activation of the peptide. Unlike toxic gramicidin S, the liberated active photoswitchable peptide exhibits antimicrobial activity against S. aureus while being ostensibly non-haemolytic to red blood cells. Moreover, irradiation with visible light switches off the antimicrobial properties of the peptide within seconds, presenting an ideal strategy to regulate antibiotic activity for localized bacterial infections with the potential to mitigate resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T Kalyvas
- School of Physics, Chemistry & Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Paula Facal Marina
- School of Physics, Chemistry & Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Flinders Institute for NanoScale Science and Technology College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, South Australia, 5042, Australia
| | - Damian L Stachura
- School of Physics, Chemistry & Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - John R Horsley
- School of Physics, Chemistry & Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Andrew D Abell
- School of Physics, Chemistry & Earth Sciences, The University of Adelaide Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
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26
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Fu J, Zong X, Jin M, Min J, Wang F, Wang Y. Mechanisms and regulation of defensins in host defense. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:300. [PMID: 37574471 PMCID: PMC10423725 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01553-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
As a family of cationic host defense peptides, defensins are mainly synthesized by Paneth cells, neutrophils, and epithelial cells, contributing to host defense. Their biological functions in innate immunity, as well as their structure and activity relationships, along with their mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential, have been of great interest in recent years. To highlight the key research into the role of defensins in human and animal health, we first describe their research history, structural features, evolution, and antimicrobial mechanisms. Next, we cover the role of defensins in immune homeostasis, chemotaxis, mucosal barrier function, gut microbiota regulation, intestinal development and regulation of cell death. Further, we discuss their clinical relevance and therapeutic potential in various diseases, including infectious disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes and obesity, chronic inflammatory lung disease, periodontitis and cancer. Finally, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the nutrient-dependent regulation of defensins, including fatty acids, amino acids, microelements, plant extracts, and probiotics, while considering the clinical application of such regulation. Together, the review summarizes the various biological functions, mechanism of actions and potential clinical significance of defensins, along with the challenges in developing defensins-based therapy, thus providing crucial insights into their biology and potential clinical utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Fu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Ministry of Education, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in Eastern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xin Zong
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Ministry of Education, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in Eastern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Mingliang Jin
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Ministry of Education, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in Eastern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Junxia Min
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Fudi Wang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Public Health, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Basic Medical Sciences, School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China.
| | - Yizhen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Ministry of Education, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in Eastern China, Ministry of Agriculture, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
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27
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Gostaviceanu A, Gavrilaş S, Copolovici L, Copolovici DM. Membrane-Active Peptides and Their Potential Biomedical Application. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2091. [PMID: 37631305 PMCID: PMC10459175 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15082091] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Membrane-active peptides (MAPs) possess unique properties that make them valuable tools for studying membrane structure and function and promising candidates for therapeutic applications. This review paper provides an overview of the fundamental aspects of MAPs, focusing on their membrane interaction mechanisms and potential applications. MAPs exhibit various structural features, including amphipathic structures and specific amino acid residues, enabling selective interaction with multiple membranes. Their mechanisms of action involve disrupting lipid bilayers through different pathways, depending on peptide properties and membrane composition. The therapeutic potential of MAPs is significant. They have demonstrated antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi, making them promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. MAPs can selectively target cancer cells and induce apoptosis, opening new avenues in cancer therapeutics. Additionally, MAPs serve as drug delivery vectors, facilitating the transport of therapeutic cargoes across cell membranes. They represent a fascinating class of biomolecules with significant potential in basic research and clinical applications. Understanding their mechanisms of action and designing peptides with enhanced selectivity and efficacy will further expand their utility in diverse fields. Exploring MAPs holds promise for developing novel therapeutic strategies against infections, cancer, and drug delivery challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Gostaviceanu
- Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, and Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, Elena Drăgoi St., No. 2, 310330 Arad, Romania; (A.G.); (S.G.); (L.C.)
- Biomedical Sciences Doctoral School, University of Oradea, University St., No. 1, 410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Simona Gavrilaş
- Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, and Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, Elena Drăgoi St., No. 2, 310330 Arad, Romania; (A.G.); (S.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Lucian Copolovici
- Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, and Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, Elena Drăgoi St., No. 2, 310330 Arad, Romania; (A.G.); (S.G.); (L.C.)
| | - Dana Maria Copolovici
- Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, and Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Technical and Natural Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University, Elena Drăgoi St., No. 2, 310330 Arad, Romania; (A.G.); (S.G.); (L.C.)
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28
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Neumann E, Sohn YS, Povilaitis SC, Cardenas AE, Mittler R, Friedler A, Webb LJ, Nechushtai R, Elber R. Visualization of Molecular Permeation into a Multi-compartment Phospholipid Vesicle. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:6349-6354. [PMID: 37418426 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c01286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Passive permeation of small molecules into vesicles with multiple compartments is a critical event in many chemical and biological processes. We consider the translocation of the peptide NAF-144-67 labeled with a fluorescent fluorescein dye across membranes of rhodamine-labeled 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) into liposomes with internal vesicles. Time-resolved microscopy revealed a sequential absorbance of the peptide in both the outer and inner micrometer vesicles that developed over a time period of minutes to hours, illustrating the spatial and temporal progress of the permeation. There is minimal perturbation of the membrane structure and no evidence for pore formation. On the basis of molecular dynamics simulations of NAF-144-67, we extended a local defect model to migration processes that include multiple compartments. The model captures the long residence time of the peptide within the membrane and the rate of permeation through the liposome and its internal compartments. Imaging experiments confirm the semi-quantitative description of the permeation of the model by activated diffusion and open the way for studies of more complex systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehud Neumann
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Yang Sung Sohn
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Sydney C Povilaitis
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, 2506 Speedway, Stop A5300, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Alfredo E Cardenas
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Ron Mittler
- Department of Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, 1201 Rollins Street, Columbia, Missouri 65201, United States
| | - Assaf Friedler
- Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Lauren J Webb
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, 2506 Speedway, Stop A5300, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Rachel Nechushtai
- The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Ron Elber
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, 2506 Speedway, Stop A5300, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Science, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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29
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Chakraborty S, Katsifis G, Roohani I, Boyer C, McKenzie D, Willcox MDP, Chen R, Kumar N. Electrostatic and Covalent Binding of an Antibacterial Polymer to Hydroxyapatite for Protection against Escherichia coli Colonization. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:5045. [PMID: 37512322 PMCID: PMC10385198 DOI: 10.3390/ma16145045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Orthopedic-device-related infections are notorious for causing physical and psychological trauma to patients suffering from them. Traditional methods of treating these infections have relied heavily on antibiotics and are becoming ineffectual due to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Mimics of antimicrobial peptides have emerged as exciting alternatives due to their favorable antibacterial properties and lack of propensity for generating resistant bacteria. In this study, the efficacy of an antibacterial polymer as a coating material for hydroxyapatite and glass surfaces, two materials with wide ranging application in orthopedics and the biomedical sciences, is demonstrated. Both physical and covalent modes of attachment of the polymer to these materials were explored. Polymer attachment to the material surfaces was confirmed via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. The modified surfaces exhibited significant antibacterial activity against the Gram-negative bacterium E. coli, and the activity was retained for a prolonged period on the surfaces of the covalently modified materials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Georgio Katsifis
- School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Iman Roohani
- School of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Cyrille Boyer
- School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - David McKenzie
- School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Mark D P Willcox
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Renxun Chen
- School of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Naresh Kumar
- School of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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30
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Chen N, Jiang C. Antimicrobial peptides: Structure, mechanism, and modification. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 255:115377. [PMID: 37099837 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Na Chen
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China
| | - Cheng Jiang
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 639 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, 211198, China.
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31
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Raileanu M, Borlan R, Campu A, Janosi L, Turcu I, Focsan M, Bacalum M. No country for old antibiotics! Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as next-generation treatment for skin and soft tissue infection. Int J Pharm 2023:123169. [PMID: 37356506 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, the unprecedented rise of bacterial antibiotic resistance together with the lack of adequate therapies have made the treatment of skin infections and chronic wounds challenging, urging the scientific community to focus on the development of new and more efficient treatment strategies. In this context, there is a growing interest in the use of natural molecules with antimicrobial features, capable of supporting wound healing i.e., antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), for the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections. In this review, we give a short overview of the bacterial skin infections as well as some of the classic treatments used for topical application. We then summarize the AMPs classes, stressing the importance of the appropriate selection of the peptides based on their characteristics and physicochemical properties in order to maximize the antibacterial efficacy of the therapeutic systems against multi-drug resistant pathogens. Additionally, the present paper provides a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the latest clinical trials investigating the efficacy of AMPs in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections, highlighting the relevant outcomes. Seeking to obtain novel and improved compounds with synergistic activity, while also decreasing some of the known side effects of AMPs, we present two employed strategies using AMPs: (i) AMPs-conjugated nanosystems for systemic and topical drug delivery systems and (ii) antibiotics-peptide conjugates as a strategy to overcome antibiotics resistance. Finally, an important property of some of the AMPs used in wound treatment is highlighted: their ability to help in wound healing by generally promoting cell proliferation and migration, and in some cases re-epithelialization and angiogenesis among others. Thus, as the pursuit of improvement is an ongoing effort, this work presents the advances made in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections along with their advantages and limitations, while the still remaining challenges are addressed by providing future prospects and strategies to overcome them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Raileanu
- Department of Life and Environmental Physics, Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Reactorului 30, Măgurele 077125, Romania
| | - Raluca Borlan
- Nanobiophotonics and Laser Microspectroscopy Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute in Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Treboniu Laurian No. 42, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Andreea Campu
- Nanobiophotonics and Laser Microspectroscopy Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute in Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Treboniu Laurian No. 42, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Lorant Janosi
- Molecular and Biomolecular Physics Department, National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 65-103 Donath Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Ioan Turcu
- Molecular and Biomolecular Physics Department, National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 65-103 Donath Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Monica Focsan
- Nanobiophotonics and Laser Microspectroscopy Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute in Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babes-Bolyai University, Treboniu Laurian No. 42, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
| | - Mihaela Bacalum
- Department of Life and Environmental Physics, Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Reactorului 30, Măgurele 077125, Romania.
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32
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Vasconcelos I, Santos T. Nanotechnology Applications in Sepsis: Essential Knowledge for Clinicians. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:1682. [PMID: 37376129 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15061682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by a dysregulated host response to an invading pathogen such as multidrug-resistant bacteria. Despite recent advancements, sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, resulting in a significant global impact and burden. This condition affects all age groups, with clinical outcomes mainly depending on a timely diagnosis and appropriate early therapeutic intervention. Because of the unique features of nanosized systems, there is a growing interest in developing and designing novel solutions. Nanoscale-engineered materials allow a targeted and controlled release of bioactive agents, resulting in improved efficacy with minimal side effects. Additionally, nanoparticle-based sensors provide a quicker and more reliable alternative to conventional diagnostic methods for identifying infection and organ dysfunction. Despite recent advancements, fundamental nanotechnology principles are often presented in technical formats that presuppose advanced chemistry, physics, and engineering knowledge. Consequently, clinicians may not grasp the underlying science, hindering interdisciplinary collaborations and successful translation from bench to bedside. In this review, we abridge some of the most recent and most promising nanotechnology-based solutions for sepsis diagnosis and management using an intelligible format to stimulate a seamless collaboration between engineers, scientists, and clinicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês Vasconcelos
- School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
- Department of Surgery and Physiology, Cardiovascular Research and Development Center-UnIC, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Al. Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Tiago Santos
- School of Medicine, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
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33
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Dho M, Candian V, Tedeschi R. Insect Antimicrobial Peptides: Advancements, Enhancements and New Challenges. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:952. [PMID: 37370271 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12060952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Several insects are known as vectors of a wide range of animal and human pathogens causing various diseases. However, they are also a source of different substances, such as the Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs), which can be employed in the development of natural bioactive compounds for medical, veterinary and agricultural applications. It is well known that AMP activity, in contrast to most classical antibiotics, does not lead to the development of natural bacterial resistance, or at least the frequency of resistance is considered to be low. Therefore, there is a strong interest in assessing the efficacy of the various peptides known to date, identifying new compounds and evaluating possible solutions in order to increase their production. Moreover, implementing AMP modulation in insect rearing could preserve insect health in large-scale production. This review describes the current knowledge on insect AMPs, presenting the validated ones for the different insect orders. A brief description of their mechanism of action is reported with focus on proposed applications. The possible effects of insect diet on AMP translation and synthesis have been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Dho
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari (DISAFA), University of Torino, Largo P. Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Valentina Candian
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari (DISAFA), University of Torino, Largo P. Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Rosemarie Tedeschi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari (DISAFA), University of Torino, Largo P. Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
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Mazurkiewicz-Pisarek A, Baran J, Ciach T. Antimicrobial Peptides: Challenging Journey to the Pharmaceutical, Biomedical, and Cosmeceutical Use. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24109031. [PMID: 37240379 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24109031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), or host defence peptides, are short proteins in various life forms. Here we discuss AMPs, which may become a promising substitute or adjuvant in pharmaceutical, biomedical, and cosmeceutical uses. Their pharmacological potential has been investigated intensively, especially as antibacterial and antifungal drugs and as promising antiviral and anticancer agents. AMPs exhibit many properties, and some of these have attracted the attention of the cosmetic industry. AMPs are being developed as novel antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens and as potential treatments for various diseases, including cancer, inflammatory disorders, and viral infections. In biomedicine, AMPs are being developed as wound-healing agents because they promote cell growth and tissue repair. The immunomodulatory effects of AMPs could be helpful in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. In the cosmeceutical industry, AMPs are being investigated as potential ingredients in skincare products due to their antioxidant properties (anti-ageing effects) and antibacterial activity, which allows the killing of bacteria that contribute to acne and other skin conditions. The promising benefits of AMPs make them a thrilling area of research, and studies are underway to overcome obstacles and fully harness their therapeutic potential. This review presents the structure, mechanisms of action, possible applications, production methods, and market for AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Mazurkiewicz-Pisarek
- Centre for Advanced Materials and Technologies CEZAMAT, Warsaw University of Technology, Poleczki 19, 02-822 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Baran
- Centre for Advanced Materials and Technologies CEZAMAT, Warsaw University of Technology, Poleczki 19, 02-822 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Ciach
- Centre for Advanced Materials and Technologies CEZAMAT, Warsaw University of Technology, Poleczki 19, 02-822 Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Warynskiego 1, 00-645 Warsaw, Poland
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Jacobo-Delgado YM, Rodríguez-Carlos A, Serrano CJ, Rivas-Santiago B. Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell-wall and antimicrobial peptides: a mission impossible? Front Immunol 2023; 14:1194923. [PMID: 37266428 PMCID: PMC10230078 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1194923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is one of the most important infectious agents worldwide and causes more than 1.5 million deaths annually. To make matters worse, the drug resistance among Mtb strains has risen substantially in the last few decades. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to find patients infected with Mtb strains that are virtually resistant to all antibiotics, which has led to the urgent search for new molecules and therapies. Over previous decades, several studies have demonstrated the efficiency of antimicrobial peptides to eliminate even multidrug-resistant bacteria, making them outstanding candidates to counterattack this growing health problem. Nevertheless, the complexity of the Mtb cell wall makes us wonder whether antimicrobial peptides can effectively kill this persistent Mycobacterium. In the present review, we explore the complexity of the Mtb cell wall and analyze the effectiveness of antimicrobial peptides to eliminate the bacilli.
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Scieuzo C, Giglio F, Rinaldi R, Lekka ME, Cozzolino F, Monaco V, Monti M, Salvia R, Falabella P. In Vitro Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of the Peptide Fractions Extracted from the Hemolymph of Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). INSECTS 2023; 14:insects14050464. [PMID: 37233092 DOI: 10.3390/insects14050464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a chemically and structurally heterogeneous family of molecules produced by a large variety of living organisms, whose expression is predominant in the sites most exposed to microbial invasion. One of the richest natural sources of AMPs is insects which, over the course of their very long evolutionary history, have adapted to numerous and different habitats by developing a powerful innate immune system that has allowed them to survive but also to assert themselves in the new environment. Recently, due to the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, interest in AMPs has risen. In this work, we detected AMPs in the hemolymph of Hermetia illucens (Diptera, Stratiomyidae) larvae, following infection with Escherichia coli (Gram negative) or Micrococcus flavus (Gram positive) and from uninfected larvae. Peptide component, isolated via organic solvent precipitation, was analyzed by microbiological techniques. Subsequent mass spectrometry analysis allowed us to specifically identify peptides expressed in basal condition and peptides differentially expressed after bacterial challenge. We identified 33 AMPs in all the analyzed samples, of which 13 are specifically stimulated by Gram negative and/or Gram positive bacterial challenge. AMPs mostly expressed after bacterial challenge could be responsible for a more specific activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Scieuzo
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
- Spinoff XFlies s.r.l., University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Fabiana Giglio
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Roberta Rinaldi
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Marilena E Lekka
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
| | - Flora Cozzolino
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
- CEINGE Advanced Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, 80145 Naples, Italy
| | - Vittoria Monaco
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
- CEINGE Advanced Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, 80145 Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Monti
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy
- CEINGE Advanced Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, 80145 Naples, Italy
| | - Rosanna Salvia
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
- Spinoff XFlies s.r.l., University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | - Patrizia Falabella
- Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
- Spinoff XFlies s.r.l., University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy
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Bournez C, Riool M, de Boer L, Cordfunke RA, de Best L, van Leeuwen R, Drijfhout JW, Zaat SAJ, van Westen GJP. CalcAMP: A New Machine Learning Model for the Accurate Prediction of Antimicrobial Activity of Peptides. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12040725. [PMID: 37107088 PMCID: PMC10135148 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12040725] [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: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
To combat infection by microorganisms host organisms possess a primary arsenal via the innate immune system. Among them are defense peptides with the ability to target a wide range of pathogenic organisms, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Here, we present the development of a novel machine learning model capable of predicting the activity of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), CalcAMP. AMPs, in particular short ones (<35 amino acids), can become an effective solution to face the multi-drug resistance issue arising worldwide. Whereas finding potent AMPs through classical wet-lab techniques is still a long and expensive process, a machine learning model can be useful to help researchers to rapidly identify whether peptides present potential or not. Our prediction model is based on a new data set constructed from the available public data on AMPs and experimental antimicrobial activities. CalcAMP can predict activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Different features either concerning general physicochemical properties or sequence composition have been assessed to retrieve higher prediction accuracy. CalcAMP can be used as an promising prediction asset to identify short AMPs among given peptide sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Bournez
- Computational Drug Discovery, Drug Discovery and Safety, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn Riool
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Leonie de Boer
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Robert A Cordfunke
- Department Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Leonie de Best
- Madam Therapeutics B.V., Pivot Park Life Sciences Community, Kloosterstraat 9, 5349 AB Oss, The Netherlands
| | - Remko van Leeuwen
- Madam Therapeutics B.V., Pivot Park Life Sciences Community, Kloosterstraat 9, 5349 AB Oss, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Wouter Drijfhout
- Department Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sebastian A J Zaat
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard J P van Westen
- Computational Drug Discovery, Drug Discovery and Safety, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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Espeche JC, Varas R, Maturana P, Cutro AC, Maffía PC, Hollmann A. Membrane permeability and antimicrobial peptides: Much more than just making a hole. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
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Kilic T, Bali EB. Biofilm control strategies in the light of biofilm-forming microorganisms. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 39:131. [PMID: 36959476 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03584-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Biofilm is a complex consortium of microorganisms attached to biotic or abiotic surfaces and live in self-produced or acquired extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). EPSs are mainly formed by lipids, polysaccharides, proteins, and extracellular DNAs. The adherence to the surface of microbial communities is seen in food, medical, dental, industrial, and environmental fields. Biofilm development in food processing areas challenges food hygiene, and human health. In addition, bacterial attachment and biofilm formation on medical implants inside human tissue can cause multiple critical chronic infections. More than 30 years of international research on the mechanisms of biofilm formation have been underway to address concerns about bacterial biofilm infections. Antibiofilm strategies contain cold atmospheric plasma, nanotechnological, phage-based, antimicrobial peptides, and quorum sensing inhibition. In the last years, the studies on environmentally-friendly techniques such as essential oils and bacteriophages have been intensified to reduce microbial growth. However, the mechanisms of the biofilm matrix formation are still unclear. This review aims to discuss the latest antibiofilm therapeutic strategies against biofilm-forming bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tugba Kilic
- Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Program of Medical Laboratory Techniques, Vocational School of Health Services, Gazi University, Ankara, 06830, Turkey.
| | - Elif Burcu Bali
- Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Program of Medical Laboratory Techniques, Vocational School of Health Services, Gazi University, Ankara, 06830, Turkey
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40
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Wiman E, Zattarin E, Aili D, Bengtsson T, Selegård R, Khalaf H. Development of novel broad-spectrum antimicrobial lipopeptides derived from plantaricin NC8 β. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4104. [PMID: 36914718 PMCID: PMC10011573 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31185-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial resistance towards antibiotics is a major global health issue. Very few novel antimicrobial agents and therapies have been made available for clinical use during the past decades, despite an increasing need. Antimicrobial peptides have been intensely studied, many of which have shown great promise in vitro. We have previously demonstrated that the bacteriocin Plantaricin NC8 αβ (PLNC8 αβ) from Lactobacillus plantarum effectively inhibits Staphylococcus spp., and shows little to no cytotoxicity towards human keratinocytes. However, due to its limitations in inhibiting gram-negative species, the aim of the present study was to identify novel antimicrobial peptidomimetic compounds with an enhanced spectrum of activity, derived from the β peptide of PLNC8 αβ. We have rationally designed and synthesized a small library of lipopeptides with significantly improved antimicrobial activity towards both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including the ESKAPE pathogens. The lipopeptides consist of 16 amino acids with a terminal fatty acid chain and assemble into micelles that effectively inhibit and kill bacteria by permeabilizing their cell membranes. They demonstrate low hemolytic activity and liposome model systems further confirm selectivity for bacterial lipid membranes. The combination of lipopeptides with different antibiotics enhanced the effects in a synergistic or additive manner. Our data suggest that the novel lipopeptides are promising as future antimicrobial agents, however additional experiments using relevant animal models are necessary to further validate their in vivo efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Wiman
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Reproductive Science, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Elisa Zattarin
- Laboratory of Molecular Materials, Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Daniel Aili
- Laboratory of Molecular Materials, Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Torbjörn Bengtsson
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Reproductive Science, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Robert Selegård
- Laboratory of Molecular Materials, Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, 581 83, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Hazem Khalaf
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Reproductive Science, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
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Development of a Novel Antibacterial Peptide, PAM-5, via Combination of Phage Display Selection and Computer-Assisted Modification. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13030466. [PMID: 36979401 PMCID: PMC10046784 DOI: 10.3390/biom13030466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibacterial peptides (ABPs) have been proposed as potential candidates for alternative antibacterial agents due to the extensive dissemination of antibiotic resistance. However, ABP isolation from natural resources can be tedious without consistent yield. Moreover, many natural ABPs are not developed for clinical application due to potential toxicity to mammalian cells. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a potent ABP with minimal toxicity via phage display selection followed by computer-assisted modification. Briefly, a 12-mer phage-displayed peptide library was used to isolate peptides that bound to the cell surface of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with high affinity. The affinity-selected peptide with the highest selection frequency was modified to PAM-5 (KWKWRPLKRKLVLRM) with enhanced antibacterial features by using an online peptide database. Using in vitro microbroth dilution assay, PAM-5 was shown to be active against a panel of Gram-negative bacteria and selected Gram-positive bacteria. Interestingly, the peptide was stable in human plasma by exhibiting a similar bactericidal effect via ex vivo assay. Scanning electron microscopy and SYTOX Green uptake assay revealed that PAM-5 was able to cause membrane disruption and permeabilization of the bacteria. Additionally, the peptide was also able to bind to bacterial DNA as demonstrated by gel retardation assay. In the time-kill assay, PAM-5 was shown to kill the bacteria rapidly in 10 min. More importantly, PAM-5 was non-cytotoxic to Vero cells and non-haemolytic to human erythrocytes at all concentrations tested for the antibacterial assays. Thus, this study showed that the combination of phage display screening and computer-assisted modification could be used to develop potent novel ABPs, and PAM-5 derived from these approaches is worth to be further elucidated for its potential clinical use.
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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 synergy of thanatin and cathelicidin-BF-15a3 combats Escherichia coli O157:H7. Int J Food Microbiol 2023; 386:110018. [PMID: 36459817 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.110018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a pathogen that commonly causes foodborne illness and represents a health hazard to consumers. The combined use of synergistic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is a promising way to improve the microbiological safety of foods. In this study, we detected the synergistic interactions between thanatin and BF-15a3 to reduce their usage and obtain more efficient antibacterial activity. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of thanatin and BF-15a3 against 49 E. coli O157:H7 strains were ranged from 2 to 8 μg/mL and 4-32 μg/mL, showed a general inhibitory effect on E. coli O157:H7 strains, respectively, even multidrug-resistant strains. Their fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) was 0.375, which suggested that their combination presented synergistic antibacterial effect against E. coli O157:H7. The killing kinetic curves indicated that the 0.25 × MIC combination had equivalent bactericidal effects to 1 × MIC thanatin or BF-15a3. When AMP combinations were used to treat eukaryotic cells to evaluate the hemolytic characteristics against rabbit erythrocytes and cytotoxicity against human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK-293T) cells and intestinal porcine enterocyte J2 (IPEC-J2) cells, no magnified adverse effects were observed, exhibiting higher specificity to bacteria and lower toxicity to eukaryotic cells. Compared with bacteriostasis of thanatin or BF-15a3 alone, the proportion of membrane-damaged bacteria treated with the synergetic combination did not appear a significant rise, interestingly the Zeta potential of them greatly decreased and their cell membrane permeability significantly increased. Besides, more release of ions and cytoplasm were detected, confirming a more severe loss of membrane integrity. These results suggested that the synergistic action mode of thanatin and BF-15a3 is likely attributed to damage aggravation to E. coli membrane. When applying in fresh-cut lettuce and cucumber, their combination allowed for 2.5 log CFU/piece reductions of E. coli O157:H7 in 24 h. In conclusion, the combination of thanatin and BF-15a3 showed excellent synthetic efficacy to kill E. coli O157:H7 in vitro under lower MICs than single use of them.
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Vesga AG, Villegas L, Vequi-Suplicy CC, Sorzano COS, Requejo-Isidro J. Quantitative characterization of membrane-protein reversible association using FCS. Biophys J 2023:S0006-3495(23)00042-5. [PMID: 36698316 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Functionally meaningful reversible protein-membrane interactions mediate many biological events. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is increasingly used to quantitatively study the non-reversible binding of proteins to membranes using lipid vesicles in solution. However, the lack of a complete description of the phase and statistical equilibria in the case of reversible protein-membrane partitioning has hampered the application of FCS to quantify the partition coefficient (Kx). In this work, we further extend the theory that describes membrane-protein partitioning to account for spontaneous protein-membrane dissociation and reassociation to the same or a different lipid vesicle. We derive the probability distribution of proteins on lipid vesicles for reversible binding and demonstrate that FCS is a suitable technique for accurate Kx quantification of membrane-protein reversible association. We also establish the limits to Kx determination by FCS studying the Cramer-Rao bound on the variance of the retrieved parameters. We validate the mathematical formulation against reaction-diffusion simulations to study phase and statistical equilibria and compare the Kx obtained from a computational FCS titration experiment with the experimental ground truth. Finally, we demonstrate the application of our methodology studying the association of anti-HIV broadly neutralizing antibody (10E8-3R) to the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo G Vesga
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB), CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain; Unidad de Nanobiotecnología, CNB-CSIC-IMDEA Nanociencia Associated Unit, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Lupe Villegas
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB), CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Jose Requejo-Isidro
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB), CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain; Unidad de Nanobiotecnología, CNB-CSIC-IMDEA Nanociencia Associated Unit, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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Guevara-Lora I, Bras G, Juszczak M, Karkowska-Kuleta J, Gorecki A, Manrique-Moreno M, Dymek J, Pyza E, Kozik A, Rapala-Kozik M. Cecropin D-derived synthetic peptides in the fight against Candida albicans cell filamentation and biofilm formation. Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1045984. [PMID: 36713201 PMCID: PMC9880178 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1045984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The recent progressive increase in the incidence of invasive fungal infections, especially in immunocompromised patients, makes the search for new therapies crucial in the face of the growing drug resistance of prevalent nosocomial yeast strains. The latest research focuses on the active compounds of natural origin, inhibiting fungal growth, and preventing the formation of fungal biofilms. Antimicrobial peptides are currently the subject of numerous studies concerning effective antifungal therapy. In the present study, the antifungal properties of two synthetic peptides (ΔM3, ΔM4) derived from an insect antimicrobial peptide - cecropin D - were investigated. The fungicidal activity of both compounds was demonstrated against the yeast forms of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis, reaching a MFC99.9 in the micromolar range, while Candida glabrata showed greater resistance to these peptides. The scanning electron microscopy revealed a destabilization of the yeast cell walls upon treatment with both peptides; however, their effectiveness was strongly modified by the presence of salt or plasma in the yeast environment. The transition of C. albicans cells from yeast to filamentous form, as well as the formation of biofilms, was effectively reduced by ΔM4. Mature biofilm viability was inhibited by a higher concentration of this peptide and was accompanied by increased ROS production, activation of the GPX3 and SOD5 genes, and finally, increased membrane permeability. Furthermore, both peptides showed a synergistic effect with caspofungin in inhibiting the metabolic activity of C. albicans cells, and an additive effect was also observed for the mixtures of peptides with amphotericin B. The results indicate the possible potential of the tested peptides in the prevention and treatment of candidiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibeth Guevara-Lora
- Department of Analytical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Grazyna Bras
- Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Magdalena Juszczak
- Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Justyna Karkowska-Kuleta
- Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Andrzej Gorecki
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Marcela Manrique-Moreno
- Chemistry Institute, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Jakub Dymek
- Department of Cell Biology and Imaging, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Pyza
- Department of Cell Biology and Imaging, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Andrzej Kozik
- Department of Analytical Biochemistry, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Maria Rapala-Kozik
- Department of Comparative Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland,*Correspondence: Maria Rapala-Kozik,
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Kordi M, Borzouyi Z, Chitsaz S, Asmaei MH, Salami R, Tabarzad M. Antimicrobial peptides with anticancer activity: Today status, trends and their computational design. Arch Biochem Biophys 2023; 733:109484. [PMID: 36473507 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2022.109484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Some antimicrobial peptides have been shown to be able to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cell lines. Various strategies for treating cancers with active peptides have been pursued. According to the reports, anticancer peptides are important therapeutic peptides, which can act through two distinct pathways: they either just create pores in the cell membrane, or they have a vital intracellular target. In this review, publications up to Sep. 2021 had extracted form Scopus and PubMed using "antimicrobial peptide" and "anticancer peptide" as keywords. In second step, "computational design" related publications extracted. Among publications, those have similar scopes were classified and selected based on mechanisms of action and application. In this review, the most recent advances in the field of antimicrobial peptides with anti-cancer activities have been summarized. Freely available webservers such as AntiCP, ACPP, iACP, iACP-GAEnsC, ACPred are discussed here. In conclusion, despite some limitations of ACPs such as production cost and challenges, short half-life and toxicity on normal cells, the beneficial properties of AMPs make some of them good therapeutic agents for cancer therapy. Towards designing novel ACPs, the computational methods have substantial position and have been used progressively, today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Kordi
- Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Zeynab Borzouyi
- Department of Agriculture, School of Agriculture and Plant Breeding, Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar, Iran
| | - Saideh Chitsaz
- Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | | | - Robab Salami
- Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Tabarzad
- Protein Technology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Iran.
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In Vitro, In Vivo and In Silico Assessment of the Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Effects of a Water Buffalo Cathelicidin (WBCATH) in Experimental Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 12:antibiotics12010075. [PMID: 36671276 PMCID: PMC9855185 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12010075] [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: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is considered the oldest pandemic in human history. The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains is currently considered a serious global health problem. As components of the innate immune response, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) such as cathelicidins have been proposed to have efficacious antimicrobial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In this work, we assessed a cathelicidin from water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, (WBCATH), determining in vitro its antitubercular activity (MIC), cytotoxicity and the peptide effect on bacillary loads and cytokines production in infected alveolar macrophages. Our results showed that WBCATH has microbicidal activity against drug-sensitive and MDR Mtb, induces structural mycobacterial damage demonstrated by electron microscopy, improves Mtb killing and induces the production of protective cytokines by murine macrophages. Furthermore, in vivo WBCATH showed decreased bacterial loads in a model of progressive pulmonary TB in BALB/c mice infected with drug-sensitive or MDR mycobacteria. In addition, a synergistic therapeutic effect was observed when first-line antibiotics were administered with WBCATH. These results were supported by computational modeling of the potential effects of WBCATH on the cellular membrane of Mtb. Thus, this water buffalo-derived cathelicidin could be a promising adjuvant therapy for current anti-TB drugs by enhancing a protective immune response and potentially reducing antibiotic treatment duration.
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48
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Application of a deep generative model produces novel and diverse functional peptides against microbial resistance. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 21:463-471. [PMID: 36618982 PMCID: PMC9804011 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance could threaten millions of lives in the immediate future. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an alternative to conventional antibiotics practice against infectious diseases. Despite the potential contribution of AMPs to the antibiotic's world, their development and optimization have encountered serious challenges. Cutting-edge methods with novel and improved selectivity toward resistant targets must be established to create AMPs-driven treatments. Here, we present AMPTrans-lstm, a deep generative network-based approach for the rational design of AMPs. The AMPTrans-lstm pipeline involves pre-training, transfer learning, and module identification. The AMPTrans-lstm model has two sub-models, namely, (long short-term memory) LSTM sampler and Transformer converter, which can be connected in series to make full use of the stability of LSTM and the novelty of Transformer model. These elements could generate AMPs candidates, which can then be tailored for specific applications. By analyzing the generated sequence and trained AMPs, we prove that AMPTrans-lstm can expand the design space of the trained AMPs and produce reasonable and brand-new AMPs sequences. AMPTrans-lstm can generate functional peptides for antimicrobial resistance with good novelty and diversity, so it is an efficient AMPs design tool.
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49
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C S, G. R R, L. F L, M.C.G DR, N.B C, S.C D, O. L F. Advances and perspectives for antimicrobial peptide and combinatory therapies. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1051456. [PMID: 36578509 PMCID: PMC9791095 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1051456] [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: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown cell membrane-directed mechanisms of action. This specificity can be effective against infectious agents that have acquired resistance to conventional drugs. The AMPs' membrane-specificity and their great potential to combat resistant microbes has brought hope to the medical/therapeutic scene. The high death rate worldwide due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has pushed forward the search for new molecules and product developments, mainly antibiotics. In the current scenario, other strategies including the association of two or more drugs have contributed to the treatment of difficult-to-treat infectious diseases, above all, those caused by bacteria. In this context, the synergistic action of AMPs associated with current antibiotic therapy can bring important results for the production of new and effective drugs to overcome AMR. This review presents the advances obtained in the last 5 years in medical/antibiotic therapy, with the use of products based on AMPs, as well as perspectives on the potentialized effects of current drugs combined with AMPs for the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santos C
- S-Inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Rodrigues G. R
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímica (CAPB), Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília (UCB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - Lima L. F
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímica (CAPB), Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília (UCB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - dos Reis M.C.G
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímica (CAPB), Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília (UCB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - Cunha N.B
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímica (CAPB), Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília (UCB), Brasília, Brazil
- Faculdade de Agronomia e Medicina Veterinária (FAV), Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - Dias S.C
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímica (CAPB), Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília (UCB), Brasília, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia Animal, Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
| | - Franco O. L
- S-Inova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande, Brazil
- Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímica (CAPB), Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica de Brasília (UCB), Brasília, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Patologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Brasília, Brazil
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50
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Antoshina DV, Balandin SV, Bogdanov IV, Vershinina MA, Sheremeteva EV, Toropygin IY, Finkina EI, Ovchinnikova TV. Antimicrobial Activity and Immunomodulatory Properties of Acidocin A, the Pediocin-like Bacteriocin with the Non-Canonical Structure. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:1253. [PMID: 36557160 PMCID: PMC9780942 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12121253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Pediocin-like bacteriocins are among the natural antimicrobial agents attracting attention as scaffolds for the development of a new generation of antibiotics. Acidocin A has significant structural differences from most other members of this subclass. We studied its antibacterial and cytotoxic activity, as well as effects on the permeability of E. coli membranes in comparison with avicin A, the typical pediocin-like bacteriocin. Acidocin A had a more marked tendency to form an alpha-helical structure upon contact with detergent micelles, as was shown by CD spectroscopy, and demonstrated considerably less specific mode of action: it inhibited growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains, which were unsusceptible to avicin A, and disrupted the integrity of outer and inner membranes of E. coli. However, the peptide retained a low toxicity towards normal and tumor human cells. The effect of mutations in the pediocin box of acidocin A (on average, a 2-4-fold decrease in activity) was less pronounced than is usually observed for such peptides. Using multiplex analysis, we showed that acidocin A and avicin A modulated the expression level of a number of cytokines and growth factors in primary human monocytes. Acidocin A induced the production of a number of inflammatory mediators (IL-6, TNFα, MIG/CXCL9, MCP-1/CCL2, MCP-3/CCL7, and MIP-1β) and inhibited the production of some anti-inflammatory factors (IL-1RA, MDC/CCL22). We assumed that the activity of acidocin A and similar peptides produced by lactic acid bacteria might affect the functional state of the human intestinal tract, not only through direct inhibition of various groups of symbiotic and pathogenic bacteria, but also via immunomodulatory effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria V. Antoshina
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey V. Balandin
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan V. Bogdanov
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria A. Vershinina
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Elvira V. Sheremeteva
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilia Yu. Toropygin
- V.N. Orekhovich Research Institute of Biomedical Chemistry, 119121 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina I. Finkina
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Tatiana V. Ovchinnikova
- M.M. Shemyakin and Yu.A. Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
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