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Stachurski O, Neubauer D, Walewska A, Iłowska E, Bauer M, Bartoszewska S, Sikora K, Hać A, Wyrzykowski D, Prahl A, Kamysz W, Sikorska E. Understanding the Role of Self-Assembly and Interaction with Biological Membranes of Short Cationic Lipopeptides in the Effective Design of New Antibiotics. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:1491. [PMID: 36358146 PMCID: PMC9686977 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11111491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigates short cationic antimicrobial lipopeptides composed of 2-4 amino acid residues and C12-C18 fatty acids attached to the N-terminal part of the peptides. The findings were discussed in the context of the relationship among biological activity, self-assembly, stability, and membrane interactions. All the lipopeptides showed the ability to self-assemble in PBS solution. In most cases, the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) much surpassed the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, suggesting that monomers are the main active form of lipopeptides. The introduction of β-alanine into the peptide sequence resulted in a compound with a high propensity to fibrillate, which increased the peptide stability and activity against S. epidermidis and C. albicans and reduced the cytotoxicity against human keratinocytes. The results of our study indicated that the target of action of lipopeptides is the bacterial membrane. Interestingly, the type of peptide counterion may affect the degree of penetration of the lipid bilayer. In addition, the binding of the lipopeptide to the membrane of Gram-negative bacteria may lead to the release of calcium ions necessary for stabilization of the lipopolysaccharide layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oktawian Stachurski
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Damian Neubauer
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Walewska
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Emilia Iłowska
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Marta Bauer
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Sylwia Bartoszewska
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Karol Sikora
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Hać
- Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Dariusz Wyrzykowski
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Adam Prahl
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Wojciech Kamysz
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Emilia Sikorska
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
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