Antimicrobial Peptide MPX with Broad-Spectrum Bactericidal Activity Promotes Proper Abscess Formation and Relieves Skin Inflammation

Bacteria have developed antibiotic resistance during the large-scale use of antibiotics, and multidrug-resistant strains are common. The development of new antibiotics or antibiotic substitutes has become an important challenge for humankind. MPX is a 14 amino acid peptide belonging to the MP antimicrobial peptide family. In this study, the antibacterial spectrum of the antimicrobial peptide MPX was first tested. The antimicrobial peptide MPX was tested for antimicrobial activity against the gram-positive bacterium S. aureus ATCC 25923, the gram-negative bacteria E. coli ATCC 25922 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium CVCC541, and the fungus Candida albicans ATCC 90029. The results showed that MPX had good antibacterial activity against the above four strains, especially against E. coli, for which the MIC was as low as 15.625 μg/mL. The study on the bactericidal mechanism of the antimicrobial peptide revealed that MPX can destroy the integrity of the cell membrane, increase membrane permeability, and change the electromotive force of the membrane, thereby allowing the contents to leak out and mediating bacterial death. A mouse acute infection model was used to evaluate the therapeutic effect of MPX after acute infection of subcutaneous tissue by S. aureus. The study showed that MPX could promote tissue repair in S. aureus infection and alleviate lung damage caused by S. aureus. In addition, skin H&E staining showed that MPX treatment facilitated the formation of appropriate abscesses at the subcutaneous infection site and facilitated the clearance of bacteria by the skin immune system. The above results show that MPX has good antibacterial activity and broad-spectrum antibacterial potential and can effectively prevent the invasion of subcutaneous tissue by S. aureus, providing new ideas and directions for the immunotherapy of bacterial infections.

The Core-Shell Heterostructure CNT@Li2FeSiO4@C as a Highly Stable Cathode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The reasonable design of nanostructure is the key to solving the inherent defects and realizing a high performance of Li₂FeSiO₄ cathode materials. In this work, a novel heterostructure CNT@Li₂FeSiO₄@C has been designed and synthesized and used as a cathode material for lithium-ion battery. It is revealed that the product has a uniform core-shell structure, and the thickness of the Li₂FeSiO₄ layer and the outer carbon layer is about 19 nm and 2 nm, respectively. The rational design effectively accelerates the diffusion of lithium ions, improves the electric conductivity, and relieves the volume change during the charging/discharging process. With the advantages of its specific structure, CNT@Li₂FeSiO₄@C has successfully overcome the inherent shortcomings of Li₂FeSiO₄ and shown good reversible capacity and cycle properties.