1
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Bello-Madruga R, Torrent Burgas M. The limits of prediction: Why intrinsically disordered regions challenge our understanding of antimicrobial peptides. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:972-981. [PMID: 38404711 PMCID: PMC10884422 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2024.02.008] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules found in most organisms, playing a vital role in innate immune defense against pathogens. Their mechanism of action involves the disruption of bacterial cell membranes, causing leakage of cellular contents and ultimately leading to cell death. While AMPs typically lack a defined structure in solution, they often assume a defined conformation when interacting with bacterial membranes. Given this structural flexibility, we investigated whether intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) with AMP-like properties could exhibit antimicrobial activity. We tested 14 peptides from different IDRs predicted to have antimicrobial activity and found that nearly all of them did not display the anticipated effects. These peptides failed to adopt a defined secondary structure and had compromised membrane interactions, resulting in a lack of antimicrobial activity. We hypothesize that evolutionary constraints may prevent IDRs from folding, even in membrane-like environments, limiting their antimicrobial potential. Moreover, our research reveals that current antimicrobial predictors fail to accurately capture the structural features of peptides when dealing with intrinsically unstructured sequences. Hence, the results presented here may have far-reaching implications for designing and improving antimicrobial strategies and therapies against infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Bello-Madruga
- The Systems Biology of Infection Lab, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biosciences Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Marc Torrent Burgas
- The Systems Biology of Infection Lab, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biosciences Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
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2
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Torabi S, Hassanzadeh-Tabrizi SA. Effective antibacterial agents in modern wound dressings: a review. BIOFOULING 2024:1-28. [PMID: 38836473 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2024.2358913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Wound infections are a significant concern in healthcare, leading to long healing times. Traditional approaches for managing wound infections rely heavily on systemic antibiotics, which are associated with the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Therefore, the development of alternative antibacterial materials for wound care has gained considerable attention. In today's world, new generations of wound dressing are commonly used to heal wounds. These new dressings keep the wound and the area around it moist to improve wound healing. However, this moist environment can also foster an environment that is favorable for the growth of bacteria. Excessive antibiotic use poses a significant threat to human health and causes bacterial resistance, so new-generation wound dressings must be designed and developed to reduce the risk of infection. Wound dressings using antimicrobial compounds minimize wound bacterial colonization, making them the best way to avoid open wound infection. We aim to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the latest advancements in antibacterial materials for wound management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadaf Torabi
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Sayed Ali Hassanzadeh-Tabrizi
- Advanced Materials Research Center, Department of Materials Engineering, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
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3
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Wu X, Tian Y, Ran K, Yao J, Wang Y, Ouyang X, Mao W, Zhang J, Li B, Yang P, Ba Z, Liu H, Gou S, Zhong C, Zhang Y, Ni J. Rational design of a new short anticancer peptide with good potential for cancer treatment. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 273:116519. [PMID: 38795519 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Anticancer peptides (ACPs) have regarded as a new generation of promising antitumor drugs due to the unique mode of action. The main challenge is to develop potential anticancer peptides with satisfied antitumor activity and low toxicity. Here, a series of new α-helical anticancer peptides were designed and synthesized based on the regular repeat motif KLLK. The optimal peptides 14E and 14Aad were successfully derived from the new short α-helical peptide KL-8. Our results demonstrated that 14E and 14Aad had good antitumor activity and low toxicity, exhibiting excellent selectivity index. This result highlighted that the desirable modification position and appropriate hydrophobic side-chain structure of acidic amino acids played critical roles in regulating the antitumor activity/toxicity of new peptides. Further studies indicated that they could induce tumor cell death via the multiple actions of efficient membrane disruption and intracellular mechanisms, displaying apparent superiority in combination with PTX. In addition, the new peptides 14E and 14Aad showed excellent antitumor efficacy in vivo and low toxicity in mice compared to KL-8 and PTX. Particularly, 14Aad with the longer side chain at the 14th site exhibited the best therapeutic performance. In conclusion, our work provided a new avenue to develop promising anticancer peptides with good selectivity for tumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Wu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yali Tian
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Kaixin Ran
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Jia Yao
- The First Hospital, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yuxia Wang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Xu Ouyang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Wenbo Mao
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Beibei Li
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Ping Yang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Zufang Ba
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Hui Liu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Chao Zhong
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China.
| | - Jingman Ni
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Research Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China; Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China.
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4
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Luo R, Xian D, Li F, Zhou G, Jiang L, Wu J, Lin L, Zheng Y, Liu G, Xu Q, Pan X, Wu C, Peng T, Quan G, Lu C. Epsilon-poly-l-lysine microneedle patch loaded with amorphous doxycycline nanoparticles for synergistic treatment of skin infection. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 266:131383. [PMID: 38580030 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131383] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
The development of antibiotic-loaded microneedles has been hindered for years by limited excipient options, restricted drug-loading space, poor microneedle formability, and short-term drug retention. Therefore, this study proposes a dissolving microneedle fabricated from the host-defense peptide ε-poly-l-lysine (EPL) as an antibacterial adjuvant system for delivering antibiotics. EPL serves not only as a major matrix material for the microneedle tips, but also as a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent that facilitates the intracellular accumulation of the antibiotic doxycycline (DOX) by increasing bacterial cell membrane permeability. Furthermore, the formation of physically crosslinked networks of EPL affords microneedle tips with improved formability, good mechanical properties, and amorphous nanoparticles (approximately 7.2 nm) of encapsulated DOX. As a result, a high total loading content of both antimicrobials up to 2319.1 μg/patch is achieved for efficient transdermal drug delivery. In a Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced deep cutaneous infection model, the EPL microneedles demonstrates potent and long-term effects by synergistically enhancing antibiotic activities and prolonging drug retention in infected lesions, resulting in remarkable therapeutic efficacy with 99.91 % (3.04 log) reduction in skin bacterial burden after a single administration. Overall, our study highlights the distinct advantages of EPL microneedles and their potential in clinical antibacterial practice when loaded with amorphous DOX nanoparticles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Luo
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Dongyi Xian
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Feng Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Guiling Zhou
- Unit of Pharmaco-Therapy, -Epidemiology and -Economics (PTEE), Department of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, Groningen 9712 CP, the Netherlands
| | - Ling Jiang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Immunopathology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Jieyi Wu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Liming Lin
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yuwei Zheng
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Guanyu Liu
- School of Physics & Photoelectric Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510650, China
| | - Qian Xu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Immunopathology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Xin Pan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chuanbin Wu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Tingting Peng
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China.
| | - Guilan Quan
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China.
| | - Chao Lu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Immunopathology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China.
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5
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Gafar MA, Omolo CA, Elhassan E, Ibrahim UH, Govender T. Applications of peptides in nanosystems for diagnosing and managing bacterial sepsis. J Biomed Sci 2024; 31:40. [PMID: 38637839 PMCID: PMC11027418 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-024-01029-2] [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: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Sepsis represents a critical medical condition stemming from an imbalanced host immune response to infections, which is linked to a significant burden of disease. Despite substantial efforts in laboratory and clinical research, sepsis remains a prominent contributor to mortality worldwide. Nanotechnology presents innovative opportunities for the advancement of sepsis diagnosis and treatment. Due to their unique properties, including diversity, ease of synthesis, biocompatibility, high specificity, and excellent pharmacological efficacy, peptides hold great potential as part of nanotechnology approaches against sepsis. Herein, we present a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the applications of peptides in nanosystems for combating sepsis, with the potential to expedite diagnosis and enhance management outcomes. Firstly, sepsis pathophysiology, antisepsis drug targets, current modalities in management and diagnosis with their limitations, and the potential of peptides to advance the diagnosis and management of sepsis have been adequately addressed. The applications have been organized into diagnostic or managing applications, with the last one being further sub-organized into nano-delivered bioactive peptides with antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory activity, peptides as targeting moieties on the surface of nanosystems against sepsis, and peptides as nanocarriers for antisepsis agents. The studies have been grouped thematically and discussed, emphasizing the constructed nanosystem, physicochemical properties, and peptide-imparted enhancement in diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy. The strengths, limitations, and research gaps in each section have been elaborated. Finally, current challenges and potential future paths to enhance the use of peptides in nanosystems for combating sepsis have been deliberately spotlighted. This review reaffirms peptides' potential as promising biomaterials within nanotechnology strategies aimed at improving sepsis diagnosis and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed A Gafar
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban, South Africa
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, P.O. Box 1996, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Calvin A Omolo
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban, South Africa.
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, United States International University-Africa, P. O. Box 14634-00800, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Eman Elhassan
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban, South Africa
| | - Usri H Ibrahim
- Discipline of Human Physiology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Thirumala Govender
- Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban, South Africa.
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6
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Xing H, de Campos LJ, Pereira AJ, Fiora MM, Aguiar-Alves F, Tagliazucchi M, Conda-Sheridan M. Engineering a nanoantibiotic system displaying dual mechanism of action. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321498121. [PMID: 38593077 PMCID: PMC11032466 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321498121] [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: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, peptide amphiphiles (PAs) have established themselves as promising self-assembling bioinspired materials in a wide range of medical fields. Herein, we report a dual-therapeutic system constituted by an antimicrobial PA and a cylindrical protease inhibitor (LJC) to achieve broad antimicrobial spectrum and to enhance therapeutic efficacy. We studied two strategies: PA-LJC nanostructures (Encapsulation) and PA nanostructures + free LJC (Combination). Computational modeling using a molecular theory for amphiphile self-assembly captures and explains the morphology of PA-LJC nanostructures and the location of encapsulated LJC in agreement with transmission electron microscopy and two-dimensional (2D) NMR observations. The morphology and release profile of PA-LJC assemblies are strongly correlated to the PA:LJC ratio: high LJC loading induces an initial burst release. We then evaluated the antimicrobial activity of our nanosystems toward gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. We found that the Combination broadens the spectrum of LJC, reduces the therapeutic concentrations of both agents, and is not impacted by the inoculum effect. Further, the Encapsulation provides additional benefits including bypassing water solubility limitations of LJC and modulating the release of this molecule. The different properties of PA-LJC nanostructures results in different killing profiles, and reduced cytotoxicity and hemolytic activity. Meanwhile, details in membrane alterations caused by each strategy were revealed by various microscopy and fluorescent techniques. Last, in vivo studies in larvae treated by the Encapsulation strategy showed better antimicrobial efficacy than polymyxin B. Collectively, this study established a multifunctional platform using a versatile PA to act as an antibiotic, membrane-penetrating assistant, and slow-release delivery vehicle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huihua Xing
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE68198
| | - Luana Janaína de Campos
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE68198
| | - Aramis Jose Pereira
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE68198
| | - Maria Mercedes Fiora
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial, Micro y Nanotecnologías, San Martín, Buenos AiresB1650WAB, Argentina
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Inorgánica Analítica y Química Física, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos AiresC1428, Argentina
- Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Quimica de los Materiales, Ambiente y Energia, Pabellon 2, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos AiresC1428
| | - Fabio Aguiar-Alves
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy, Palm Beach Atlantic University, FL33401
| | - Mario Tagliazucchi
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Inorgánica Analítica y Química Física, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos AiresC1428, Argentina
- Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Instituto de Quimica de los Materiales, Ambiente y Energia, Pabellon 2, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos AiresC1428
| | - Martin Conda-Sheridan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE68198
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Lyra KM, Tournis I, Subrati M, Spyrou K, Papavasiliou A, Athanasekou C, Papageorgiou S, Sakellis E, Karakassides MA, Sideratou Z. Carbon Nanodisks Decorated with Guanidinylated Hyperbranched Polyethyleneimine Derivatives as Efficient Antibacterial Agents. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 14:677. [PMID: 38668171 PMCID: PMC11054016 DOI: 10.3390/nano14080677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Non-toxic carbon-based hybrid nanomaterials based on carbon nanodisks were synthesized and assessed as novel antibacterial agents. Specifically, acid-treated carbon nanodisks (oxCNDs), as a safe alternative material to graphene oxide, interacted through covalent and non-covalent bonding with guanidinylated hyperbranched polyethyleneimine derivatives (GPEI5K and GPEI25K), affording the oxCNDs@GPEI5K and oxCNDs@GPEI25K hybrids. Their physico-chemical characterization confirmed the successful and homogenous attachment of GPEIs on the surface of oxCNDs, which, due to the presence of guanidinium groups, offered them improved aqueous stability. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of oxCNDs@GPEIs was evaluated against Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus bacteria. It was found that both hybrids exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity, with oxCNDs@GPEI5K being more active than oxCNDs@GPEI25K. Their MIC and MBC values were found to be much lower than those of oxCNDs, revealing that the GPEI attachment endowed the hybrids with enhanced antibacterial properties. These improved properties were attributed to the polycationic character of the oxCNDs@GPEIs, which enables effective interaction with the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and cell walls, leading to cell envelope damage, and eventually cell lysis. Finally, oxCNDs@GPEIs showed minimal cytotoxicity on mammalian cells, indicating that these hybrid nanomaterials have great potential to be used as safe and efficient antibacterial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyriaki-Marina Lyra
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Reasearch “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece; (K.-M.L.); (I.T.); (M.S.); (A.P.); (C.A.); (S.P.); or (E.S.)
| | - Ioannis Tournis
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Reasearch “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece; (K.-M.L.); (I.T.); (M.S.); (A.P.); (C.A.); (S.P.); or (E.S.)
| | - Mohammed Subrati
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Reasearch “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece; (K.-M.L.); (I.T.); (M.S.); (A.P.); (C.A.); (S.P.); or (E.S.)
| | - Konstantinos Spyrou
- Department of Material Science & Engineering, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece; (K.S.); (M.A.K.)
| | - Aggeliki Papavasiliou
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Reasearch “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece; (K.-M.L.); (I.T.); (M.S.); (A.P.); (C.A.); (S.P.); or (E.S.)
| | - Chrysoula Athanasekou
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Reasearch “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece; (K.-M.L.); (I.T.); (M.S.); (A.P.); (C.A.); (S.P.); or (E.S.)
| | - Sergios Papageorgiou
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Reasearch “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece; (K.-M.L.); (I.T.); (M.S.); (A.P.); (C.A.); (S.P.); or (E.S.)
| | - Elias Sakellis
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Reasearch “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece; (K.-M.L.); (I.T.); (M.S.); (A.P.); (C.A.); (S.P.); or (E.S.)
- Physics Department, Condensed Matter Physics Section, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zografos, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Michael A. Karakassides
- Department of Material Science & Engineering, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece; (K.S.); (M.A.K.)
| | - Zili Sideratou
- Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Reasearch “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi, 15310 Athens, Greece; (K.-M.L.); (I.T.); (M.S.); (A.P.); (C.A.); (S.P.); or (E.S.)
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8
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Furukawa N, Yang W, Chao AR, Patil A, Mirando AC, Pandey NB, Popel AS. Chemokine-derived oncolytic peptide induces immunogenic cancer cell death and significantly suppresses tumor growth. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:161. [PMID: 38565596 PMCID: PMC10987543 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-01932-5] [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: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Chemokinostatin-1 (CKS1) is a 24-mer peptide originally discovered as an anti-angiogenic peptide derived from the CXCL1 chemokine. Here, we demonstrate that CKS1 acts not only as an anti-angiogenic peptide but also as an oncolytic peptide due to its structural and physical properties. CKS1 induced both necrotic and apoptotic cell death specifically in cancer cells while showing minimal toxicity in non-cancerous cells. Mechanistically, CKS1 disrupted the cell membrane of cancer cells quickly after treatment and activated the apoptotic pathway at later time points. Furthermore, immunogenic molecules were released from CKS1-treated cells, indicating that CKS1 induces immunogenic cell death. CKS1 effectively suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Collectively, these data demonstrate that CKS1 functions as an oncolytic peptide and has a therapeutic potential to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsuki Furukawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Wendy Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alex R Chao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Akash Patil
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Adam C Mirando
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Niranjan B Pandey
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aleksander S Popel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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9
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Fan D, Liu X, Ren Y, Luo Z, Li Y, Dong J, Wegner SV, Chen F, Zeng W. Harnessing antimicrobial peptide-coupled photosensitizer to combat drug-resistant biofilm infections through enhanced photodynamic therapy. Acta Pharm Sin B 2024; 14:1759-1771. [PMID: 38572100 PMCID: PMC10985124 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial biofilm-associated infection was one of the most serious threats to human health. However, effective drugs for drug-resistance bacteria or biofilms remain rarely reported. Here, we propose an innovative strategy to develop a multifunctional antimicrobial agent with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity by coupling photosensitizers (PSs) with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). This strategy capitalizes on the ability of PSs to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the membrane-targeting property of AMPs (KRWWKWIRW, a peptide screened by an artificial neural network), synergistically enhancing the antimicrobial activity. In addition, unlike conventional aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) photosensitizers, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) PSs show stronger fluorescence emission in the aggregated state to help visualize the antibacterial mechanism. In vitro antibacterial experiments demonstrated the excellent killing effects of the developed agent against both Gram-positive (G+) and Gram-negative (G-) bacteria. The bacterial-aggregations induced ability enhanced the photoactivatable antibacterial activity against G- bacteria. Notably, it exhibited a significant effect on destroying MRSA biofilms. Moreover, it also showed remarkable efficacy in treating wound infections in mice in vivo. This multifunctional antimicrobial agent holds significant potential in addressing the challenges posed by bacterial biofilm-associated infections and drug-resistant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duoyang Fan
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Drug Research for Chronic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Xiaohui Liu
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Drug Research for Chronic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Yueming Ren
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Ziheng Luo
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Drug Research for Chronic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Yanbing Li
- Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Jie Dong
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Drug Research for Chronic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Seraphine V. Wegner
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University of Münster, Münster 48149, Germany
| | - Fei Chen
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Drug Research for Chronic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
| | - Wenbin Zeng
- Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Drug Research for Chronic Diseases, Central South University, Changsha 410013, China
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10
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Fu XY, Yin H, Chen XT, Yao JF, Ma YN, Song M, Xu H, Yu QY, Du SS, Qi YK, Wang KW. Three Rounds of Stability-Guided Optimization and Systematical Evaluation of Oncolytic Peptide LTX-315. J Med Chem 2024; 67:3885-3908. [PMID: 38278140 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Oncolytic peptides represent promising novel candidates for anticancer treatments. In our efforts to develop oncolytic peptides possessing both high protease stability and durable anticancer efficiency, three rounds of optimization were conducted on the first-in-class oncolytic peptide LTX-315. The robust synthetic method, in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity, and anticancer mechanism were investigated. The D-type peptides represented by FXY-12 possessed significantly improved proteolytic stability and sustained anticancer efficiency. Strikingly, the novel hybrid peptide FXY-30, containing one FXY-12 and two camptothecin moieties, exhibited the most potent in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities. The mechanism explorations indicated that FXY-30 exhibited rapid membranolytic effects and induced severe DNA double-strand breaks to trigger cell apoptosis. Collectively, this study not only established robust strategies to improve the stability and anticancer potential of oncolytic peptides but also provided valuable references for the future development of D-type peptides-based hybrid anticancer chemotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing-Yan Fu
- School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao University, #1 Ningde Road, Qingdao 266073, China
- Institute of Innovative Drugs, Qingdao University, #38 Dengzhou Road, Qingdao 266021, China
| | - Hao Yin
- School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao University, #1 Ningde Road, Qingdao 266073, China
- Institute of Innovative Drugs, Qingdao University, #38 Dengzhou Road, Qingdao 266021, China
| | - Xi-Tong Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao University, #1 Ningde Road, Qingdao 266073, China
| | - Jing-Fang Yao
- School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao University, #1 Ningde Road, Qingdao 266073, China
| | - Yan-Nan Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao University, #1 Ningde Road, Qingdao 266073, China
| | - Min Song
- College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
| | - Huan Xu
- College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
| | - Qian-Yao Yu
- School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao University, #1 Ningde Road, Qingdao 266073, China
| | - Shan-Shan Du
- School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao University, #1 Ningde Road, Qingdao 266073, China
- College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China
| | - Yun-Kun Qi
- School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao University, #1 Ningde Road, Qingdao 266073, China
- Institute of Innovative Drugs, Qingdao University, #38 Dengzhou Road, Qingdao 266021, China
| | - Ke-Wei Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Medical College, Qingdao University, #1 Ningde Road, Qingdao 266073, China
- Institute of Innovative Drugs, Qingdao University, #38 Dengzhou Road, Qingdao 266021, China
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11
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Kim DY, Oh YB, Park JS, Min YH, Park MC. Anti-Microbial Activities of Mussel-Derived Recombinant Proteins against Gram-Negative Bacteria. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:239. [PMID: 38534674 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13030239] [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: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Many anti-microbial peptides (AMPs) and pro-apoptotic peptides are considered as novel anti-microbial agents, distinguished by their different characteristics. Nevertheless, AMPs exhibit certain limitations, including poor stability and potential toxicity, which hinder their suitability for applications in pharmaceutics and medical devices. In this study, we used recombinant mussel adhesive protein (MAP) as a robust scaffold to overcome these limitations associated with AMPs. Mussel adhesive protein fused with functional peptides (MAP-FPs) was used to evaluate anti-microbial activities, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), and time-kill kinetics (TKK) assays against six of bacteria strains. MAP and MAP-FPs were proved to have an anti-microbial effect with MIC of 4 or 8 µM against only Gram-negative bacteria strains. All tested MAP-FPs killed four different Gram-negative bacteria strains within 180 min. Especially, MAP-FP-2 and -5 killed three Gram-negative bacteria strain, including E. coli, S. typhimurium, and K. pneumoniae, within 10 min. A cytotoxicity study using Vero and HEK293T cells indicated the safety of MAP and MAP-FP-2 and -3. Thermal stability of MAP-FP-2 was also validated by HPLC analysis at an accelerated condition for 4 weeks. This study identified that MAP-FPs have novel anti-microbial activity, inhibiting the growth and rapidly killing Gram-negative bacteria strains with high thermal stability and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Yun Kim
- College of Pharmacy, Inje Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Inje University, Gimhae 50832, Republic of Korea
| | - You Bin Oh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae 50832, Republic of Korea
| | - Je Seon Park
- Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae 50832, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu-Hong Min
- College of Health and Welfare, Daegu Hanny University, Gyeongsan 38610, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Chul Park
- College of Pharmacy, Inje Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Inje University, Gimhae 50832, Republic of Korea
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12
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Alarfaj N, Al Musayeib N, Amina M, El-Tohamy M. Synthesis and characterization of polysiphonia/cerium oxide/nickel oxide nanocomposites for the removal of toxins from contaminated water and antibacterial potential. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:17064-17096. [PMID: 38334931 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32199-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Due to massive industrial development, organic and inorganic wastes are very common in most industrial effluents from the pharmaceutical industry. Even in low concentrations, they are very dangerous and harmful to humans and other living organisms. Antibiotics are frequently detected in surface waters, in soil, in wastewater from sewage treatment plants, and even in drinking water. The major environmental threat they pose has prompted to search for effective and environmentally friendly means of eliminating these toxins. The biogenic synthesis of nanomaterials using natural herbal extracts has attracted considerable attention due to their low-cost, environmentally friendly and non-toxic nature, and as a reversal of various physical and chemical processes. The ceria nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs), nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs), and CeO2/NiO nanocomposites (CeO2/NiO NCS) were successfully prepared by simple biosynthetic routes using Polysiphonia urceolata algae extract as green surfactants and tested for toxic ofloxacin removal efficiency. The formed nanostructures were identified and characterized by various microscopic (FESEM-EDX, TEM, XRD, BET, and XPS) and spectroscopic (UV-Vis, FTIR, and TGA) methods. The adsorption/desorption of ofloxacin (OFX) on the surface of the nanomaterials was investigated under optimized conditions (initial dose 20 mg/L, agitation speed 250 rpm, pH 12, adsorbent dose 0.5 mg/L, and contact time 120 min). The removal efficiencies were 78%, 86%, and 94% for CeO2 NPs, NiO NPs and CeO2/NiO NCS, respectively, where OFX removal was found to be spontaneous, followed by Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic reaction model. The OFX adsorption mechanism on the nanomaterials involved the surface complexation via specific electrostatic attraction and H-bonding. The biogenic nanomaterials were also tested for their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus. The CeO2/NiO NCS exhibited the highest antibacterial activity with zone of inhibition (31.12 ± 0.59 mm) against S. epidermidis, followed by CeO2NPs and NiONPs with zones of inhibition (25.53 ± 1.2 mm) and (21.42 ± 0.6 mm) against P. aeruginosa and S. epidermidis, respectively. This study demonstrated the efficiency of the synthesized nanomaterials in removing toxins such as OFX from contaminated water and can serve as potential antibacterial and antioxidant agents. Notably, the heterogeneous nanomaterials demonstrated remarkable stability across a broad pH range, promising reusability and indicated tremendous potential of waste biomass reduction and OFX effluent treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawal Alarfaj
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, 11495, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nawal Al Musayeib
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Pharmacy College, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, 11495, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Musarat Amina
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Pharmacy College, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, 11495, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maha El-Tohamy
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 22452, 11495, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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13
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Fang S, Kang WT, Li H, Cai Q, Liang W, Zeng M, Yu Q, Zhong R, Tao Y, Liu S, Lin S. Development of cannabidiol derivatives as potent broad-spectrum antibacterial agents with membrane-disruptive mechanism. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 266:116149. [PMID: 38266554 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116149] [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: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of antibiotic resistance has brought a significant burden to public health. Here, we designed and synthesized a series of cannabidiol derivatives by biomimicking the structure and function of cationic antibacterial peptides. This is the first report on the design of cannabidiol derivatives as broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. Through the structure-activity relationship (SAR) study, we found a lead compound 23 that killed both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria via a membrane-targeting mechanism of action with low resistance frequencies. Compound 23 also exhibited very weak hemolytic activity, low toxicity toward mammalian cells, and rapid bactericidal properties. To further validate the membrane action mechanism of compound 23, we performed transcriptomic analysis using RNA-seq, which revealed that treatment with compound 23 altered many cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis-related genes in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. More importantly, compound 23 showed potent in vivo antibacterial efficacy in murine corneal infection models caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These findings would provide a new design idea for the discovery of novel broad-spectrum antibacterial agents to overcome the antibiotic resistance crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanfang Fang
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Wen-Tyng Kang
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
| | - Haizhou Li
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Qiongna Cai
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Wanxin Liang
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Minghui Zeng
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Qian Yu
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Rongcui Zhong
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China
| | - Yiwen Tao
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
| | - Shouping Liu
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
| | - Shuimu Lin
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 511436, China.
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14
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Kim SH, Hind CK, Fernandes GFS, Wu J, Semenya D, Clifford M, Marsh C, Anselmi S, Mason AJ, Bruce KD, Sutton JM, Castagnolo D. Development of Novel Membrane Disrupting Lipoguanidine Compounds Sensitizing Gram-Negative Bacteria to Antibiotics. ACS Med Chem Lett 2024; 15:239-249. [PMID: 38352828 PMCID: PMC10860194 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
A new class of amphiphilic molecules, the lipoguanidines, designed as hybrids of guanidine and fatty acid compounds, has been synthesized and developed. The new molecules present both a guanidine polar head and a lipophilic tail that allow them to disrupt bacterial membranes and to sensitize Gram-negative bacteria to the action of the narrow-spectrum antibiotics rifampicin and novobiocin. The lipoguanidine 5g sensitizes Klebsiella pneumonia, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli to rifampicin, thereby reducing the antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) up to 256-fold. Similarly, 5g is able to potentiate novobiocin up to 64-fold, thereby showing a broad spectrum of antibiotic potentiating activity. Toxicity and mechanism studies revealed the potential of 5g to work synergistically with rifampicin through the disruption of bacterial membranes without affecting eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Heun Kim
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte K. Hind
- Antimicrobial
Discovery, Development and Diagnostics, Vaccine Development and Evaluation
Centre, UKHSA Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Guilherme F. S. Fernandes
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Jingyue Wu
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Dorothy Semenya
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
| | - Melanie Clifford
- Antimicrobial
Discovery, Development and Diagnostics, Vaccine Development and Evaluation
Centre, UKHSA Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Caleb Marsh
- Antimicrobial
Discovery, Development and Diagnostics, Vaccine Development and Evaluation
Centre, UKHSA Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Anselmi
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - A. James Mason
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
| | - Kenneth D. Bruce
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
| | - J. Mark Sutton
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
- Antimicrobial
Discovery, Development and Diagnostics, Vaccine Development and Evaluation
Centre, UKHSA Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JG, United Kingdom
| | - Daniele Castagnolo
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Science, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
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15
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Wang W, Zhong Z, Huang Z, Hiew TN, Huang Y, Wu C, Pan X. Nanomedicines for targeted pulmonary delivery: receptor-mediated strategy and alternatives. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:2820-2833. [PMID: 38289362 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr05487j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Pulmonary drug delivery of nanomedicines is promising for the treatment of lung diseases; however, their lack of specificity required for targeted delivery limit their applications. Recently, a variety of pulmonary delivery targeting nanomedicines (PDTNs) has been developed for enhancing drug accumulation in lung lesions and reducing systemic side effects. Furthermore, with the increasing profound understanding of the specific microenvironment of different local lung diseases, multiple targeting strategies have been employed to promote drug delivery efficiency, which can be divided into the receptor-mediated strategy and alternatives. In this review, the current publication trend on PDTNs is analyzed and discussed, revealing that the research in this area has been attracting much attention. According to the different unique microenvironments of lung lesions, the reported PDTNs based on the receptor-mediated strategy for lung cancer, lung infection, lung inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis are listed and summarized. In addition, several other well-established strategies for the design of these PDTNs, such as charge regulation, mucus delivery enhancement, stimulus-responsive drug delivery and magnetic force-driven targeting, are introduced and discussed. Besides, bottlenecks in the development of PDTNs are discussed. Finally, we highlight the challenges and opportunities in the development of PDTNs. We hope that this review will provide an overview of the available PDTNs for guiding the treatment of lung diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhao Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong, PR China.
| | - Ziqiao Zhong
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, PR China.
| | - Zhengwei Huang
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, PR China.
| | - Tze Ning Hiew
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa 52242, USA
| | - Ying Huang
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, PR China.
| | - Chuanbin Wu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, PR China.
| | - Xin Pan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong, PR China.
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16
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Conde-Torres D, Blanco-González A, Seco-González A, Suárez-Lestón F, Cabezón A, Antelo-Riveiro P, Piñeiro Á, García-Fandiño R. Unraveling lipid and inflammation interplay in cancer, aging and infection for novel theranostic approaches. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1320779. [PMID: 38361953 PMCID: PMC10867256 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1320779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The synergistic relationships between Cancer, Aging, and Infection, here referred to as the CAIn Triangle, are significant determinants in numerous health maladies and mortality rates. The CAIn-related pathologies exhibit close correlations with each other and share two common underlying factors: persistent inflammation and anomalous lipid concentration profiles in the membranes of affected cells. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the most pertinent interconnections within the CAIn Triangle, in addition to examining the relationship between chronic inflammation and specific lipidic compositions in cellular membranes. To tackle the CAIn-associated diseases, a suite of complementary strategies aimed at diagnosis, prevention, and treatment is proffered. Our holistic approach is expected to augment the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying these diseases and highlight the potential of shared features to facilitate the development of novel theranostic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Conde-Torres
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Facultade de Física, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Organic Chemistry Department, Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CiQUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Alexandre Blanco-González
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Facultade de Física, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Organic Chemistry Department, Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CiQUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- MD.USE Innovations S.L., Edificio Emprendia, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Alejandro Seco-González
- Organic Chemistry Department, Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CiQUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Fabián Suárez-Lestón
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Facultade de Física, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Organic Chemistry Department, Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CiQUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- MD.USE Innovations S.L., Edificio Emprendia, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Alfonso Cabezón
- Organic Chemistry Department, Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CiQUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Paula Antelo-Riveiro
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Facultade de Física, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Organic Chemistry Department, Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CiQUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Ángel Piñeiro
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, Facultade de Física, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Rebeca García-Fandiño
- Organic Chemistry Department, Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CiQUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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17
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Liu H, Shen W, Liu W, Yang Z, Yin D, Xiao C. From oncolytic peptides to oncolytic polymers: A new paradigm for oncotherapy. Bioact Mater 2024; 31:206-230. [PMID: 37637082 PMCID: PMC10450358 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2023.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditional cancer therapy methods, especially those directed against specific intracellular targets or signaling pathways, are not powerful enough to overcome tumor heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance. Oncolytic peptides that can induce membrane lysis-mediated cancer cell death and subsequent anticancer immune responses, has provided a new paradigm for cancer therapy. However, the clinical application of oncolytic peptides is always limited by some factors such as unsatisfactory bio-distribution, poor stability, and off-target toxicity. To overcome these limitations, oncolytic polymers stand out as prospective therapeutic materials owing to their high stability, chemical versatility, and scalable production capacity, which has the potential to drive a revolution in cancer treatment. This review provides an overview of the mechanism and structure-activity relationship of oncolytic peptides. Then the oncolytic peptides-mediated combination therapy and the nano-delivery strategies for oncolytic peptides are summarized. Emphatically, the current research progress of oncolytic polymers has been highlighted. Lastly, the challenges and prospects in the development of oncolytic polymers are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanmeng Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China
| | - Wei Shen
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Preparation Technology and Application, Hefei, Anhui, 230012, China
- Engineering Technology Research Center of Modernized Pharmaceutics, Anhui Education Department (AUCM), Hefei, Anhui, 230012, China
| | - Wanguo Liu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130033, China
| | - Zexin Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China
| | - Dengke Yin
- School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China
- Engineering Technology Research Center of Modernized Pharmaceutics, Anhui Education Department (AUCM), Hefei, Anhui, 230012, China
| | - Chunsheng Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China
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18
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Gong Q, Liu B, Yuan F, Tao R, Huang Y, Zeng X, Zhu X, Zhao Y, Zhang Y, Yang M, Wang J, Liu T, Zhang G. Controllably Self-Assembled Antibacterial Nanofibrils Based on Insect Cuticle Protein for Infectious Wound Healing. ACS NANO 2023; 17:23679-23691. [PMID: 37983051 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c07131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Developing self-assembled biomedical materials based on insect proteins is highly desirable due to their advantages of green, rich, and sustainable characters as well as excellent biocompatibility, which has been rarely explored. Herein, salt-induced controllable self-assembly, antibacterial performance, and infectious wound healing performance of an insect cuticle protein (OfCPH-2) originating from the Ostrinia furnacalis larva head capsule are investigated. Interestingly, the addition of salts could trigger the formation of beaded nanofibrils with uniform diameter, whose length highly depends on the salt concentration. Surprisingly, the OfCPH-2 nanofibrils not only could form functional films with broad-spectrum antibacterial abilities but also could promote infectious wound healing. More importantly, a possible wound healing mechanism was proposed, and it is the strong abilities of OfCPH-2 nanofibrils in promoting vascular formation and antibacterial activity that facilitate the process of infectious wound healing. Our exciting findings put forward instructive thoughts for developing innovative bioinspired materials based on insect proteins for wound healing and related biomedical fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyu Gong
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Optic-Electric Sensing and Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Ministry of Education, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, P. R. China
| | - Bohao Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Fenghou Yuan
- School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Runyi Tao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Yinjuan Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Shaanxi International Research Center for Soft Matter, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Zeng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Xingzhuo Zhu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Yilong Zhao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Yanpeng Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Mei Yang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Jizhao Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
| | - Tian Liu
- School of Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China
| | - Guangjian Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Shaanxi Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, P. R. China
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19
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Shaikh AY, Björkling F, Zabicka D, Tomczak M, Urbas M, Domraceva I, Kreicberga A, Franzyk H. Structure-activity study of oncocin: On-resin guanidinylation and incorporation of homoarginine, 4-hydroxyproline or 4,4-difluoroproline residues. Bioorg Chem 2023; 141:106876. [PMID: 37797458 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106876] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) often display guanidinium functionalities, and hence robust synthetic procedures are needed to facilitate access to analogues with unnatural homologues of arginine (Arg = R). Initially, a resin-bound Arg/Pro-rich fluoren-9-yl-methyloxycarbonyl-protected fragment (Fmoc-RPRPPR) of the AMP oncocin (i.e., VDKPPYLPRPRPPRRIYNR-NH2) was employed in a comparative on-resin assessment of commercial guanidinylation reagents head-to-head with the recently studied bis-Boc-protected triazole-based reagent, 1H-triazole-1-[N,N'-bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)]-carboxamidine, which was synthesized by a chromatography-free procedure. This reagent was found to enable quantitative conversion in solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) of peptides displaying homoarginine (Har) residues and/or an N-terminal guanidinium group. SPPS was used to obtain analogues of the 18-mer oncocin with single as well as multiple Arg → Har modifications. In addition, the effect of replacement of proline (Pro) residues in oncocin was explored by incorporating single or multiple trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline (Hyp) or 4,4-difluoro-l-proline (Dfp) residues, which both affected hydrophobicity. The resulting peptide library was tested against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Analysis of the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) showed that analogues, displaying modifications at positions 4, 5 and 12 (originally Pro residues), had retained or slightly improved antimicrobial activity. Next, an oncocin analogue with two stabilizing l-Arg → d-Arg replacements in the C-terminal part was further modified by triple-replacement of Pro by either Dfp or Hyp in positions 4, 5, and 12. The resulting analogue displaying three Pro → Dfp modifications proved to possess the best activity profile: MICs of 1-2 µg/mL against E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, less than 1% hemolysis at 800 µg/mL, and an IC50 above 1280 µg/mL in HepG2 cells. Thus, incorporation of bis-fluorinated Pro residues appears to constitute a novel tool in structure-activity studies aimed at optimization of Pro-rich AMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashif Y Shaikh
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100, Denmark; Department of Chemistry, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab Emirates
| | - Fredrik Björkling
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100, Denmark
| | - Dorota Zabicka
- Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, ul. Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Tomczak
- Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, ul. Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Urbas
- Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Microbiology, National Medicines Institute, ul. Chełmska 30/34, 00-725 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ilona Domraceva
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, 1006 Riga, Latvia
| | - Agrita Kreicberga
- Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Aizkraukles 21, 1006 Riga, Latvia
| | - Henrik Franzyk
- Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Jagtvej 162, DK-2100, Denmark.
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20
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Nowicka J, Janczura A, Pajączkowska M, Chodaczek G, Szymczyk-Ziółkowska P, Walczuk U, Gościniak G. Effect of Camel Peptide on the Biofilm of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus haemolyticus Formed on Orthopedic Implants. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1671. [PMID: 38136705 PMCID: PMC10740474 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12121671] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing bacterial drug resistance and the associated challenges in the treatment of infections warrant the search for alternative therapeutic methods. Hope is placed in antimicrobial peptides, which have a broad spectrum of action and are effective against strains which are resistant to conventional antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides are also tested for their efficacy in the treatment of infections associated with the formation of biofilm. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of Camel peptide on S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus adhesion to and formation of biofilm on steel cortical bone screws and also on the process of reducing mature biofilm in orthopedic implants. The tests were performed on steel implants for osteosynthesis. The MIC value and MBEC values of the peptide were determined using the microdilution method in microtiter plates. The effect of the peptide on adhesion and biofilm formation, as well as on the activity on the preformed biofilm, was evaluated using quantitative methods and confocal microscopy. The presented research results indicate that the peptide exhibits very good antimicrobial properties against the analyzed strains. Concentrations above MIC reduced biofilm in the range of 90-99%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Nowicka
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University, 50-368 Wrocław, Poland; (M.P.); (U.W.); (G.G.)
| | - Adriana Janczura
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University, 50-368 Wrocław, Poland; (M.P.); (U.W.); (G.G.)
| | - Magdalena Pajączkowska
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University, 50-368 Wrocław, Poland; (M.P.); (U.W.); (G.G.)
| | - Grzegorz Chodaczek
- Bioimaging Laboratory, Łukasiewicz Research Network—PORT Polish Center for Technology Development, 54-066 Wrocław, Poland;
| | - Patrycja Szymczyk-Ziółkowska
- Centre for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (CAMT/FPC), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Łukasiewicza 5, 50-371 Wroclaw, Poland;
| | - Urszula Walczuk
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University, 50-368 Wrocław, Poland; (M.P.); (U.W.); (G.G.)
| | - Grażyna Gościniak
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University, 50-368 Wrocław, Poland; (M.P.); (U.W.); (G.G.)
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21
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Melo BL, Lima-Sousa R, Alves CG, Correia IJ, de Melo-Diogo D. Sulfobetaine methacrylate-coated reduced graphene oxide-IR780 hybrid nanosystems for effective cancer photothermal-photodynamic therapy. Int J Pharm 2023; 647:123552. [PMID: 37884216 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123552] [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: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Nanomaterials with near infrared light absorption can mediate an antitumoral photothermal-photodynamic response that is weakly affected by cancer cells' resistance mechanisms. Such nanosystems are commonly prepared by loading photosensitizers into nanomaterials displaying photothermal capacity, followed by functionalization to achieve biological compatibility. However, the translation of these multifunctional nanomaterials has been limited by the fact that many of the photosensitizers are not responsive to near infrared light. Furthermore, the reliance on poly(ethylene glycol) for functionalizing the nanomaterials is also not ideal due to some immunogenicity reports. Herein, a novel photoeffective near infrared light-responsive nanosystem for cancer photothermal-photodynamic therapy was assembled. For such, dopamine-reduced graphene oxide was, for the first time, functionalized with sulfobetaine methacrylate-brushes, and then loaded with IR780 (IR780/SB/DOPA-rGO). This hybrid system revealed a nanometric size distribution, optimal surface charge and colloidal stability. The interaction of IR780/SB/DOPA-rGO with near infrared light prompted a temperature increase (photothermal effect) and production of singlet oxygen (photodynamic effect). In in vitro studies, the IR780/SB/DOPA-rGO per se did not elicit cytotoxicity (viability > 78 %). In contrast, the combination of IR780/SB/DOPA-rGO with near infrared light decreased breast cancer cells' viability to just 21 %, at a very low nanomaterial dose, highlighting its potential for cancer photothermal-photodynamic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna L Melo
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Rita Lima-Sousa
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Cátia G Alves
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Ilídio J Correia
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal; CIEPQPF - Departamento de Engenharia Química, Universidade de Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Duarte de Melo-Diogo
- CICS-UBI - Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
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22
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Mwangi J, Kamau PM, Thuku RC, Lai R. Design methods for antimicrobial peptides with improved performance. Zool Res 2023; 44:1095-1114. [PMID: 37914524 PMCID: PMC10802102 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.246] [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: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The recalcitrance of pathogens to traditional antibiotics has made treating and eradicating bacterial infections more difficult. In this regard, developing new antimicrobial agents to combat antibiotic-resistant strains has become a top priority. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), a ubiquitous class of naturally occurring compounds with broad-spectrum antipathogenic activity, hold significant promise as an effective solution to the current antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis. Several AMPs have been identified and evaluated for their therapeutic application, with many already in the drug development pipeline. Their distinct properties, such as high target specificity, potency, and ability to bypass microbial resistance mechanisms, make AMPs a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics. Nonetheless, several challenges, such as high toxicity, lability to proteolytic degradation, low stability, poor pharmacokinetics, and high production costs, continue to hamper their clinical applicability. Therefore, recent research has focused on optimizing the properties of AMPs to improve their performance. By understanding the physicochemical properties of AMPs that correspond to their activity, such as amphipathicity, hydrophobicity, structural conformation, amino acid distribution, and composition, researchers can design AMPs with desired and improved performance. In this review, we highlight some of the key strategies used to optimize the performance of AMPs, including rational design and de novo synthesis. We also discuss the growing role of predictive computational tools, utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning, in the design and synthesis of highly efficacious lead drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Mwangi
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Engineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Centre for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Primate Research Centre, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Sino-African Joint Research Centre, New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Peter Muiruri Kamau
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Engineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Centre for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Primate Research Centre, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Sino-African Joint Research Centre, New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Rebecca Caroline Thuku
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Engineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Centre for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Primate Research Centre, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Sino-African Joint Research Centre, New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Ren Lai
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province, Engineering Laboratory of Peptides of Chinese Academy of Sciences, KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, National Resource Centre for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Primate Research Centre, National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Sino-African Joint Research Centre, New Cornerstone Science Institute, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China
- Centre for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, Guangdong 511458, China. E-mail:
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23
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Furukawa N, Yang W, Chao A, Patil A, Mirando A, Pandey N, Popel A. Chemokine-derived oncolytic peptide induces immunogenic cancer cell death and significantly suppresses tumor growth. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3335225. [PMID: 37886580 PMCID: PMC10602061 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3335225/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Chemokinostatin-1 (CKS1) is a 24-mer peptide originally discovered as an anti-angiogenic peptide derived from the CXCL1 chemokine. Here, we demonstrate that CKS1 acts not only as an anti-angiogenic peptide but also as an oncolytic peptide due to its structural and physical properties. CKS1 induced both necrotic and apoptotic cell death specifically in cancer cells while showing minimal toxicity in non-cancerous cells. Mechanistically, CKS1 disrupted the cell membrane of cancer cells quickly after treatment and activated the apoptotic pathway at later time points. Furthermore, immunogenic molecules were released from CKS1 treated cells, indicating that CKS1 induces immunogenic cell death. CKS1 effectively suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Collectively, these data demonstrate that CKS1 is a unique peptide that functions both as an anti-angiogenic peptide and as an oncolytic peptide and has a therapeutic potential to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wendy Yang
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
| | - Alex Chao
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
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24
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Tiwari P, Srivastava Y, Sharma A, Vinayagam R. Antimicrobial Peptides: The Production of Novel Peptide-Based Therapeutics in Plant Systems. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1875. [PMID: 37763279 PMCID: PMC10532476 DOI: 10.3390/life13091875] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The increased prevalence of antibiotic resistance is alarming and has a significant impact on the economies of emerging and underdeveloped nations. The redundancy of antibiotic discovery platforms (ADPs) and injudicious use of conventional antibiotics has severely impacted millions, across the globe. Potent antimicrobials from biological sources have been extensively explored as a ray of hope to counter the growing menace of antibiotic resistance in the population. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are gaining momentum as powerful antimicrobial therapies to combat drug-resistant bacterial strains. The tremendous therapeutic potential of natural and synthesized AMPs as novel and potent antimicrobials is highlighted by their unique mode of action, as exemplified by multiple research initiatives. Recent advances and developments in antimicrobial discovery and research have increased our understanding of the structure, characteristics, and function of AMPs; nevertheless, knowledge gaps still need to be addressed before these therapeutic options can be fully exploited. This thematic article provides a comprehensive insight into the potential of AMPs as potent arsenals to counter drug-resistant pathogens, a historical overview and recent advances, and their efficient production in plants, defining novel upcoming trends in drug discovery and research. The advances in synthetic biology and plant-based expression systems for AMP production have defined new paradigms in the efficient production of potent antimicrobials in plant systems, a prospective approach to countering drug-resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pragya Tiwari
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea;
| | - Yashdeep Srivastava
- RR Institute of Modern Technology, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226201, Uttar Pradesh, India;
| | - Abhishek Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Institute of Advanced Research, Koba Institutional Area, Gandhinagar 392426, Gujarat, India;
| | - Ramachandran Vinayagam
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea;
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25
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Suchi SA, Lee DY, Kim YK, Kang SS, Bilkis T, Yoo JC. Synergistic Effect, Improved Cell Selectivity, and Elucidating the Action Mechanism of Antimicrobial Peptide YS12. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13522. [PMID: 37686328 PMCID: PMC10487915 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713522] [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: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted considerable attention as potential substitutes for traditional antibiotics. In our previous research, a novel antimicrobial peptide YS12 derived from the Bacillus velezensis strain showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) indicated that combining YS12 with commercial antibiotics produced a synergistic effect. Following these findings, the combination of YS12 with an antibiotic resulted in a faster killing effect against bacterial strains compared to the treatment with the peptide YS12 or antibiotic alone. The peptide YS12 maintained its antimicrobial activity under different physiological salts (Na+, Mg2+, and Fe3+). Most importantly, YS12 exhibited no cytotoxicity towards Raw 264.7 cells and showed low hemolytic activity, whereas positive control melittin indicated extremely high toxicity. In terms of mode of action, we found that peptide YS12 was able to bind with LPS through electrostatic interaction. The results from fluorescent measurement revealed that peptide YS12 damaged the integrity of the bacterial membrane. Confocal laser microscopy further confirmed that the localization of peptide YS12 was almost in the cytoplasm of the cells. Peptide YS12 also exhibited anti-inflammatory activity by reducing the release of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and NO. Collectively, these properties strongly suggest that the antimicrobial peptide YS12 may be a promising candidate for treating microbial infections and inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzia Aktar Suchi
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Young Lee
- Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Eumseong 27709, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Kyun Kim
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Soo Kang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 Four Program, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Tahmina Bilkis
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Cheol Yoo
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea
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26
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Nhàn NTT, Yamada T, Yamada KH. Peptide-Based Agents for Cancer Treatment: Current Applications and Future Directions. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12931. [PMID: 37629112 PMCID: PMC10454368 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based strategies have received an enormous amount of attention because of their specificity and applicability. Their specificity and tumor-targeting ability are applied to diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients. In this review, we will summarize recent advancements and future perspectives on peptide-based strategies for cancer treatment. The literature search was conducted to identify relevant articles for peptide-based strategies for cancer treatment. It was performed using PubMed for articles in English until June 2023. Information on clinical trials was also obtained from ClinicalTrial.gov. Given that peptide-based strategies have several advantages such as targeted delivery to the diseased area, personalized designs, relatively small sizes, and simple production process, bioactive peptides having anti-cancer activities (anti-cancer peptides or ACPs) have been tested in pre-clinical settings and clinical trials. The capability of peptides for tumor targeting is essentially useful for peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs), diagnosis, and image-guided surgery. Immunomodulation with peptide vaccines has been extensively tested in clinical trials. Despite such advantages, FDA-approved peptide agents for solid cancer are still limited. This review will provide a detailed overview of current approaches, design strategies, routes of administration, and new technological advancements. We will highlight the success and limitations of peptide-based therapies for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhàn
- Department of Pharmacology & Regenerative Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
| | - Tohru Yamada
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
- Richard & Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois College of Engineering, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Kaori H. Yamada
- Department of Pharmacology & Regenerative Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612, USA;
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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27
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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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28
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Pan M, Lu C, Zhang W, Huang H, Shi X, Tang S, Liu D. Poly(l-Ornithine)-Based Polymeric Micelles as pH-Responsive Macromolecular Anticancer Agents. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15041307. [PMID: 37111792 PMCID: PMC10143059 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15041307] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Anticancer peptides and polymers represent an emerging field of tumor treatment and can physically interact with tumor cells to address the problem of multidrug resistance. In the present study, poly(l-ornithine)-b-poly(l-phenylalanine) (PLO-b-PLF) block copolypeptides were prepared and evaluated as macromolecular anticancer agents. Amphiphilic PLO-b-PLF self-assembles into nanosized polymeric micelles in aqueous solution. Cationic PLO-b-PLF micelles interact steadily with the negatively charged surfaces of cancer cells via electrostatic interactions and kill the cancer cells via membrane lysis. To alleviate the cytotoxicity of PLO-b-PLF, 1,2-dicarboxylic-cyclohexene anhydride (DCA) was anchored to the side chains of PLO via an acid-labile β-amide bond to fabricate PLO(DCA)-b-PLF. Anionic PLO(DCA)-b-PLF showed negligible hemolysis and cytotoxicity under neutral physiological conditions but recovered cytotoxicity (anticancer activity) upon charge reversal in the weakly acidic microenvironment of the tumor. PLO-based polypeptides might have potential applications in the emerging field of drug-free tumor treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Pan
- Plastic Surgery Institute of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
- Department of Plastic Surgery and Burn Center, Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
- Shantou Plastic Surgery Clinical Research Center, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Chao Lu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Wancong Zhang
- Plastic Surgery Institute of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
- Department of Plastic Surgery and Burn Center, Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
- Shantou Plastic Surgery Clinical Research Center, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Huan Huang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Xingyu Shi
- Department of Pharmacy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Shijie Tang
- Plastic Surgery Institute of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
- Department of Plastic Surgery and Burn Center, Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
- Shantou Plastic Surgery Clinical Research Center, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Daojun Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
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29
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Jiang L, Huang H, Shi X, Wu J, Ye J, Xu Q, Fang S, Wu C, Luo R, Lu C, Liu D. Biocontrol Microneedle Patch: A Promising Agent for Protecting Citrus Fruits from Postharvest Infection. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15041219. [PMID: 37111704 PMCID: PMC10142349 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15041219] [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: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
With increasing human awareness of food safety, the replacement of highly toxic pesticides with biocompatible antimicrobials has become a trend. This study proposes a biocontrol microneedle (BMN) to expand the application of the food-grade preservative epsilon-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) in fruit preservatives by utilizing a dissolving microneedle system. The macromolecular polymer ε-PL not only possesses broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity but also exhibits good mechanical properties. With the addition of a small amount of polyvinyl alcohol, the mechanical strength of the ε-PL-based microneedle patch could be further improved to achieve an enhanced failure force of needles at 1.6 N/needle and induce an approximately 96% insertion rate in citrus fruit pericarps. An ex vivo insertion test revealed that the microneedle tips could be effectively inserted into the citrus fruit pericarp, rapidly dissolve within 3 min, and produce inconspicuous needle holes. Moreover, the high drug loading capacity of BMN was observed to reach approximately 1890 μg/patch, which is essential for enhancing the concentration-dependent antifungal activity of ε-PL. The drug distribution study has confirmed the feasibility of mediating the local diffusion of EPL in the pericarp through BMN. Therefore, BMN has great potential to reduce the incidence of invasive fungal infections in local areas of citrus fruit pericarp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Jiang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Huan Huang
- Department of Pharmacy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Xingyu Shi
- Department of Pharmacy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Jian Wu
- Shantou Central Hospital, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Juexian Ye
- Department of Pharmacy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Qian Xu
- Department of Pharmacy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Immunopathology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Shaobin Fang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515000, China
| | - Chuanbin Wu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Rui Luo
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Chao Lu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511436, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Immunopathology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
| | - Daojun Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China
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30
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Chang L, Wu X, Ran K, Tian Y, Ouyang X, Liu H, Gou S, Zhang Y, Ni J. One New Acid-Activated Hybrid Anticancer Peptide by Coupling with a Desirable pH-Sensitive Anionic Partner Peptide. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:7536-7545. [PMID: 36873017 PMCID: PMC9979329 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Anticancer peptides (ACPs) are promising antitumor resources, and developing acid-activated ACPs as more effective and selective antitumor drugs would represent new progress in cancer therapy. In this study, we designed a new class of acid-activated hybrid peptides LK-LE by altering the charge shielding position of the anionic binding partner LE based on the cationic ACP LK and investigated their pH response, cytotoxic activity, and serum stability, in hoping to achieve a desirable acid-activatable ACP. As expected, the obtained hybrid peptides could be activated and exhibit a remarkable antitumor activity by rapid membrane disruption at acidic pH, whereas its killing activity could be alleviated at normal pH, showing a significant pH response compared with LK. Importantly, this study found that the peptide LK-LE3 with the charge shielding in the N-terminal of LK displayed notably low cytotoxicity and more stability, demonstrating that the position of charge masking is extremely important for the improvement of peptide toxicity and stability. In short, our work opens a new avenue to design promising acid-activated ACPs as potential targeting agents for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Chang
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Kaixin Ran
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yali Tian
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Xu Ouyang
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
| | - Jingman Ni
- Research
Unit of Peptide Science, Chinese Academy
of Medical Sciences, 2019RU066, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
- Institute
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Key Laboratory of Preclinical
Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China
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31
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Stein NV, Eder M, Brameyer S, Schwenkert S, Jung H. The ABC transporter family efflux pump PvdRT-OpmQ of Pseudomonas putida KT2440: purification and initial characterization. FEBS Lett 2023; 597:1403-1414. [PMID: 36807028 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14601] [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: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2023]
Abstract
Tripartite efflux systems of the ABC-type family transport a variety of substrates and contribute to the antimicrobial resistance of Gram-negative bacteria. PvdRT-OpmQ, a member of this family, is thought to be involved in the secretion of the newly synthesized and recycled siderophore pyoverdine in Pseudomonas species. Here, we purified and characterized the inner membrane component PvdT and the periplasmic adapter protein PvdR of the plant growth-promoting soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440. We show that PvdT possesses an ATPase activity that is stimulated by the addition of PvdR. In addition, we provide the first biochemical evidence for direct interactions between pyoverdine and PvdRT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Victoria Stein
- Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Michelle Eder
- Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Sophie Brameyer
- Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Martinsried, Germany.,Service Unit Bioanalytics, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Serena Schwenkert
- Service Unit Mass Spectrometry of Biomolecules, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Heinrich Jung
- Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Martinsried, Germany
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32
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Luo X, Chen H, Song Y, Qin Z, Xu L, He N, Tan Y, Dessie W. Advancements, challenges and future perspectives on peptide-based drugs: Focus on antimicrobial peptides. Eur J Pharm Sci 2023; 181:106363. [PMID: 36529161 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2022.106363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Among other health related issues, the rising concerns on drug resistance led to look for alternative pharmaceutical drugs that are effective both against infectious and noninfectious diseases. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) emerged as potential therapeutic molecule with wide range of applications. With their limitations, AMPs have gained reputable attentions in research as well as in the pharmaceutical industry. This review highlighted the historical background, research trends, technological advancements, challenges, and future perspectives in the development and applications of peptide drugs. Some vital questions related with the need for pharmaceutical production, factors for the slow and steady journey, the importance of oral bioavailability, and the drug resistance possibilities of AMPs were raised and addressed accordingly. Therefore, the current study is believed to provide a profound understanding in the past and current scenarios and future directions on the therapeutic impacts of peptide drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofang Luo
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China; Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China
| | - Huifang Chen
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China; Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China
| | - Yannan Song
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China; Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China
| | - Zuodong Qin
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China; Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China
| | - Lijian Xu
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China
| | - Nongyue He
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China
| | - Yimin Tan
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China.
| | - Wubliker Dessie
- Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, 425199 Yongzhou, China.
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33
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Yang R, Hou E, Cheng W, Yan X, Zhang T, Li S, Yao H, Liu J, Guo Y. Membrane-Targeting Neolignan-Antimicrobial Peptide Mimic Conjugates to Combat Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Infections. J Med Chem 2022; 65:16879-16892. [PMID: 36512751 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) continue to endanger public health. Here, we report the synthesis of neolignan isomagnolone (I) and its isomer II, and the preparation of a series of novel neolignan-antimicrobial peptide (AMP) mimic conjugates. Notably, conjugates III5 and III15 exhibit potent anti-MRSA activity in vitro and in vivo, comparable to that of vancomycin, a current effective treatment for MRSA. Moreover, III5 and III15 display not only fast-killing kinetics and low resistance frequency but also low toxicity as well as effects on bacterial biofilms. Mechanism studies reveal that III5 and III15 exhibit rapid bactericidal effects through binding to the phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and cardiolipin (CL) of the bacterial membrane, thereby disrupting the cell membranes and allowing increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as protein and DNA leakage. The results indicate that these neolignan-AMP mimic conjugates could be promising antimicrobial candidates for combating MRSA infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruige Yang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China
| | - Enhua Hou
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China
| | - Wanqing Cheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China
| | - Xiaoting Yan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China
| | - Shihong Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, Henan, China
| | - Hong Yao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, Henan, China
| | - Jifeng Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China
| | - Yong Guo
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China
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34
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Dubovskii PV, Ignatova AA, Alekseeva AS, Starkov VG, Boldyrev IA, Feofanov AV, Utkin YN. Membrane-Disrupting Activity of Cobra Cytotoxins Is Determined by Configuration of the N-Terminal Loop. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 15:6. [PMID: 36668826 PMCID: PMC9866941 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In aqueous solutions, cobra cytotoxins (CTX), three-finger folded proteins, exhibit conformational equilibrium between conformers with either cis or trans peptide bonds in the N-terminal loop (loop-I). The equilibrium is shifted to the cis form in toxins with a pair of adjacent Pro residues in this loop. It is known that CTX with a single Pro residue in loop-I and a cis peptide bond do not interact with lipid membranes. Thus, if a cis peptide bond is present in loop-I, as in a Pro-Pro containing CTX, this should weaken its lipid interactions and likely cytotoxic activities. To test this, we have isolated seven CTX from Naja naja and N. haje cobra venoms. Antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of these CTX, as well as their capability to induce calcein leakage from phospholipid liposomes, were evaluated. We have found that CTX with a Pro-Pro peptide bond indeed exhibit attenuated membrane-perturbing activity in model membranes and lower cytotoxic/antibacterial activity compared to their counterparts with a single Pro residue in loop-I.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter V. Dubovskii
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anastasia A. Ignatova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna S. Alekseeva
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladislav G. Starkov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan A. Boldyrev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey V. Feofanov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Bioengineering Department, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Yuri N. Utkin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
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35
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Efficacy of natural antimicrobial peptides versus peptidomimetic analogues: a systematic review. Future Med Chem 2022; 14:1899-1921. [PMID: 36421051 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2022-0160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims: This systematic review was carried out to determine whether synthetic peptidomimetics exhibit significant advantages over antimicrobial peptides in terms of in vitro potency. Structural features - molecular weight, charge and length - were examined for correlations with activity. Methods: Original research articles reporting minimum inhibitory concentration values against Escherichia coli, indexed until 31 December 2020, were searched in PubMed/ScienceDirect/Google Scholar and evaluated using mixed-effects models. Results: In vitro antimicrobial activity of peptidomimetics resembled that of antimicrobial peptides. Net charge significantly affected minimum inhibitory concentration values (p < 0.001) with a trend of 4.6% decrease for increments in charge by +1. Conclusion: AMPs and antibacterial peptidomimetics exhibit similar potencies, providing an opportunity to exploit the advantageous stability and bioavailability typically associated with peptidomimetics.
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36
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Blázquez-Moraleja A, Moya P, Marin ML, Bosca F. Synthesis of Novel Heterogeneous Photocatalysts based on Rose Bengal for effective Wastewater Disinfection and Decontamination. Catal Today 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2022.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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37
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Talapko J, Meštrović T, Juzbašić M, Tomas M, Erić S, Horvat Aleksijević L, Bekić S, Schwarz D, Matić S, Neuberg M, Škrlec I. Antimicrobial Peptides-Mechanisms of Action, Antimicrobial Effects and Clinical Applications. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:antibiotics11101417. [PMID: 36290075 PMCID: PMC9598582 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11101417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The growing emergence of antimicrobial resistance represents a global problem that not only influences healthcare systems but also has grave implications for political and economic processes. As the discovery of novel antimicrobial agents is lagging, one of the solutions is innovative therapeutic options that would expand our armamentarium against this hazard. Compounds of interest in many such studies are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which actually represent the host's first line of defense against pathogens and are involved in innate immunity. They have a broad range of antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, fungi, and viruses, with specific mechanisms of action utilized by different AMPs. Coupled with a lower propensity for resistance development, it is becoming clear that AMPs can be seen as emerging and very promising candidates for more pervasive usage in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, their use in quotidian clinical practice is not without challenges. In this review, we aimed to summarize state-of-the-art evidence on the structure and mechanisms of action of AMPs, as well as to provide detailed information on their antimicrobial activity. We also aimed to present contemporary evidence of clinical trials and application of AMPs and highlight their use beyond infectious diseases and potential challenges that may arise with their increasing availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasminka Talapko
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
- Correspondence: (J.T.); (I.Š.)
| | - Tomislav Meštrović
- University Centre Varaždin, University North, 42000 Varaždin, Croatia
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, 3980 15th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Martina Juzbašić
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Matej Tomas
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Suzana Erić
- Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Josipa Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Lorena Horvat Aleksijević
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Sanja Bekić
- Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Josipa Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
- Family Medicine Practice, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Dragan Schwarz
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Suzana Matić
- Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Josipa Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Marijana Neuberg
- University Centre Varaždin, University North, 42000 Varaždin, Croatia
| | - Ivana Škrlec
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
- Correspondence: (J.T.); (I.Š.)
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Zakharova E, Orsi M, Capecchi A, Reymond JL. Machine Learning Guided Discovery of Non-Hemolytic Membrane Disruptive Anti-Cancer Peptides. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200291. [PMID: 35880810 PMCID: PMC9541320 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Most antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and anticancer peptides (ACPs) fold into membrane disruptive cationic amphiphilic α‐helices, many of which are however also unpredictably hemolytic and toxic. Here we exploited the ability of recurrent neural networks (RNN) to distinguish active from inactive and non‐hemolytic from hemolytic AMPs and ACPs to discover new non‐hemolytic ACPs. Our discovery pipeline involved: 1) sequence generation using either a generative RNN or a genetic algorithm, 2) RNN classification for activity and hemolysis, 3) selection for sequence novelty, helicity and amphiphilicity, and 4) synthesis and testing. Experimental evaluation of thirty‐three peptides resulted in eleven active ACPs, four of which were non‐hemolytic, with properties resembling those of the natural ACP lasioglossin III. These experiments show the first example of direct machine learning guided discovery of non‐hemolytic ACPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Zakharova
- University of Bern: Universitat Bern, Departement of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, SWITZERLAND
| | - Markus Orsi
- University of Bern: Universitat Bern, Departement of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, SWITZERLAND
| | - Alice Capecchi
- University of Bern: Universitat Bern, Departement of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, SWITZERLAND
| | - Jean-Louis Reymond
- Universität Bern: Universitat Bern, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freiestrasse 3, 3012, Switzerland, 3012, Bern, SWITZERLAND
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High Level Expression and Purification of Cecropin-like Antimicrobial Peptides in Escherichia coli. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10061351. [PMID: 35740373 PMCID: PMC9220022 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10061351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cecropins are a family of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are widely found in the innate immune system of Cecropia moths. Cecropins exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial and anticancer activities. The structures of Cecropins are composed of 34–39 amino acids with an N-terminal amphipathic α-helix, an AGP hinge and a hydrophobic C-terminal α-helix. KR12AGPWR6 was designed based on the Cecropin-like structural feature. In addition to its antimicrobial activities, KR12AGPWR6 also possesses enhanced salt resistance, antiendotoxin and anticancer properties. Herein, we have developed a strategy to produce recombinant KR12AGPWR6 through a salt-sensitive, pH and temperature dependent intein self-cleavage system. The His6-Intein-KR12AGPWR6 was expressed by E. coli and KR12AGPWR6 was released by the self-cleavage of intein under optimized ionic strength, pH and temperature conditions. The molecular weight and structural feature of the recombinant KR12AGPWR6 was determined by MALDI-TOF mass, CD, and NMR spectroscopy. The recombinant KR12AGPWR6 exhibited similar antimicrobial activities compared to the chemically synthesized KR12AGPWR6. Our results provide a potential strategy to obtain large quantities of AMPs and this method is feasible and easy to scale up for commercial production.
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Li F, Lin L, Chi J, Wang H, Du M, Feng D, Wang L, Luo R, Chen H, Quan G, Cai J, Pan X, Wu C, Lu C. Guanidinium-rich lipopeptide functionalized bacteria-absorbing sponge as an effective trap-and-kill system for the elimination of focal bacterial infection. Acta Biomater 2022; 148:106-118. [PMID: 35671875 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.05.052] [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: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Focal bacterial infections are often difficult to treat due to the rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, high risk of relapse, and severe inflammation at local lesions. To address multidrug-resistant skin and soft tissue infections, a bacteria-absorbing sponge was prepared to involve a "trap-and-kill" mechanism. The system describes a guanidinium-rich lipopeptide functionalized lyotropic liquid-crystalline hydrogel with bicontinuous cubic networks. Amphiphilic lipopeptides can be spontaneously anchored to the lipid-water interface, exposing their bacterial targeting sequences to enhance antibacterial trapping/killing activity. Computational simulations supported our structural predictions, and the sponge was confirmed to successfully remove ∼98.8% of the bacteria in the medium. Release and degradation behavior studies indicated that the bacteria-absorbing sponge could degrade, mediate enzyme-responsive lipopeptide release, or generate ∼200 nm lipopeptide nanoparticles with environmental erosion. This implies that the sponge can effectively capture and isolate high concentrations of bacteria at the infected site and then sustainably release antimicrobial lipopeptides into deep tissues for the eradication of residual bacteria. In the animal experiment, we found that the antibacterial performance of the bacterial-absorbing sponge was significant, which demonstrated not only a long-term inhibition effect to disinfect and avoid bacterial rebound, but also a unique advantage to protect tissue from bacterial attack. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Host defense peptides/peptidomimetics (HDPs) have shown potential for the elimination of focal bacterial infections, but the application of their topical formulations suffers from time-consuming preparation processes, indistinctive toxicity reduction effects, and inefficient bacterial capture ability. To explore new avenues for the development of easily prepared, low-toxicity and high-efficiency topical antimicrobials, a guanidinium-rich lipopeptide was encapsulated in a lyotropic liquid-crystalline hydrogel (denoted as "bacteria-absorbing sponge") to achieve complementary superiorities. The superior characteristic of the bacteria-absorbing sponge involves a "trap-and-kill" mechanism, which undergoes not only a long-term inhibition effect to disinfect and avoid bacterial rebound, but also effective bacterial capture and isolating action to confine bacterial diffusion and protect tissues from bacterial attack.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Liming Lin
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jiaying Chi
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Hui Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Minqun Du
- Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou 511400, China
| | - Disang Feng
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Liqing Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Rui Luo
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Hangping Chen
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Guilan Quan
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Xin Pan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chuanbin Wu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China
| | - Chao Lu
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 511443, China.
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Valenti GE, Alfei S, Caviglia D, Domenicotti C, Marengo B. Antimicrobial Peptides and Cationic Nanoparticles: A Broad-Spectrum Weapon to Fight Multi-Drug Resistance Not Only in Bacteria. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23116108. [PMID: 35682787 PMCID: PMC9181033 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23116108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last few years, antibiotic resistance and, analogously, anticancer drug resistance have increased considerably, becoming one of the main public health problems. For this reason, it is crucial to find therapeutic strategies able to counteract the onset of multi-drug resistance (MDR). In this review, a critical overview of the innovative tools available today to fight MDR is reported. In this direction, the use of membrane-disruptive peptides/peptidomimetics (MDPs), such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), has received particular attention, due to their high selectivity and to their limited side effects. Moreover, similarities between bacteria and cancer cells are herein reported and the hypothesis of the possible use of AMPs also in anticancer therapies is discussed. However, it is important to take into account the limitations that could negatively impact clinical application and, in particular, the need for an efficient delivery system. In this regard, the use of nanoparticles (NPs) is proposed as a potential strategy to improve therapy; moreover, among polymeric NPs, cationic ones are emerging as promising tools able to fight the onset of MDR both in bacteria and in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia E. Valenti
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), General Pathology Section, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.E.V.); (B.M.)
| | - Silvana Alfei
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy;
| | - Debora Caviglia
- Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics (DISC), University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV, 6, 16132 Genova, Italy;
| | - Cinzia Domenicotti
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), General Pathology Section, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.E.V.); (B.M.)
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Pisa, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-010-353-8830
| | - Barbara Marengo
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), General Pathology Section, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (G.E.V.); (B.M.)
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Pisa, Italy
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Svenson J, Molchanova N, Schroeder CI. Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics for Clinical Use: Does Size Matter? Front Immunol 2022; 13:915368. [PMID: 35720375 PMCID: PMC9204644 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.915368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The search for efficient antimicrobial therapies that can alleviate suffering caused by infections from resistant bacteria is more urgent than ever before. Infections caused by multi-resistant pathogens represent a significant and increasing burden to healthcare and society and researcher are investigating new classes of bioactive compounds to slow down this development. Antimicrobial peptides from the innate immune system represent one promising class that offers a potential solution to the antibiotic resistance problem due to their mode of action on the microbial membranes. However, challenges associated with pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and off-target toxicity are slowing down the advancement and use of innate defensive peptides. Improving the therapeutic properties of these peptides is a strategy for reducing the clinical limitations and synthetic mimics of antimicrobial peptides are emerging as a promising class of molecules for a variety of antimicrobial applications. These compounds can be made significantly shorter while maintaining, or even improving antimicrobial properties, and several downsized synthetic mimics are now in clinical development for a range of infectious diseases. A variety of strategies can be employed to prepare these small compounds and this review describes the different compounds developed to date by adhering to a minimum pharmacophore based on an amphiphilic balance between cationic charge and hydrophobicity. These compounds can be made as small as dipeptides, circumventing the need for large compounds with elaborate three-dimensional structures to generate simplified and potent antimicrobial mimics for a range of medical applications. This review highlight key and recent development in the field of small antimicrobial peptide mimics as a promising class of antimicrobials, illustrating just how small you can go.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalia Molchanova
- The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Christina I. Schroeder
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, United States
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Wang W, Wu F, Zhang Q, Zhou N, Zhang M, Zheng T, Li Y, Tang BZ. Aggregation-Induced Emission Nanoparticles for Single Near-Infrared Light-Triggered Photodynamic and Photothermal Antibacterial Therapy. ACS NANO 2022; 16:7961-7970. [PMID: 35504042 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c00734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Phototheranostics is a potential area for precision medicine, which has received increasing attention for antibacterial applications. Integrating all phototheranostic modalities in a single molecule and achieving precise spatial colocalization is a challenging task because of the complexity of energy dissipation and molecular design. Here, a type of quaternary amine functionalized aggregation-induced emission (AIE), AIEgen, was synthesized and used to produce singlet oxygen (1O2) and heat, which were used to eradicate the bacteria. With the introduction of the positive charge in AIEgen, AIE nanoparticles (AIE NPs) could selectively target bacteria. Notably, the AIE NPs displayed obvious antibacterial performance against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). The antibacterial rates of AIE NPs were as high as 99.9% and 99.8% for S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. Therefore, our results suggested the potential of AIE NPs acting as broad-spectrum antimicrobial materials, which provided a strategy for treating different microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wentao Wang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Fan Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, People's Republic of China
| | - Qicheng Zhang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Ninglin Zhou
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Science and Technology of Eco-Textiles, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, People's Republic of China
| | - Ben Zhong Tang
- School of Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, People's Republic of China
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Cheah YH, Liu CY, Yip BS, Wu CL, Peng KL, Cheng JW. Strategy to Enhance Anticancer Activity and Induced Immunogenic Cell Death of Antimicrobial Peptides by Using Non-Nature Amino Acid Substitutions. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10051097. [PMID: 35625834 PMCID: PMC9138567 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10051097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent and imminent need to develop new agents to fight against cancer. In addition to the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities, many antimicrobial peptides can bind to and lyse cancer cells. P-113, a 12-amino acid clinically active histatin-rich peptide, was found to possess anti-Candida activities but showed poor anticancer activity. Herein, anticancer activities and induced immunogenic cancer cell death of phenylalanine-(Phe-P-113), β-naphthylalanine-(Nal-P-113), β-diphenylalanine-(Dip-P-113), and β-(4,4′-biphenyl)alanine-(Bip-P-113) substituted P-113 were studied. Among these peptides, Nal-P-113 demonstrated the best anticancer activity and caused cancer cells to release potent danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), cytochrome c, ATP, and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). These results could help in developing antimicrobial peptides with better anticancer activity and induced immunogenic cell death in therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Huan Cheah
- Department of Medical Science, Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan; (Y.-H.C.); (C.-Y.L.); (B.-S.Y.); (C.-L.W.); (K.-L.P.)
| | - Chun-Yu Liu
- Department of Medical Science, Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan; (Y.-H.C.); (C.-Y.L.); (B.-S.Y.); (C.-L.W.); (K.-L.P.)
| | - Bak-Sau Yip
- Department of Medical Science, Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan; (Y.-H.C.); (C.-Y.L.); (B.-S.Y.); (C.-L.W.); (K.-L.P.)
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsinchu Branch, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Lung Wu
- Department of Medical Science, Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan; (Y.-H.C.); (C.-Y.L.); (B.-S.Y.); (C.-L.W.); (K.-L.P.)
| | - Kuang-Li Peng
- Department of Medical Science, Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan; (Y.-H.C.); (C.-Y.L.); (B.-S.Y.); (C.-L.W.); (K.-L.P.)
| | - Jya-Wei Cheng
- Department of Medical Science, Institute of Biotechnology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan; (Y.-H.C.); (C.-Y.L.); (B.-S.Y.); (C.-L.W.); (K.-L.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-3-5742763; Fax: +886-3-5715934
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Zhang Y, Chang L, Bao H, Wu X, Liu H, Gou S, Zhang J, Ni J. Constructing New Acid-Activated Anticancer Peptide by Attaching a Desirable Anionic Binding Partner Peptide. J Drug Target 2022; 30:973-982. [PMID: 35502656 DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2022.2070627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Improving the cell selectivity of anticancer peptides (ACPs) is a major hurdle in their clinical utilization. In this study, a new acid-activated ACP was designed by conjugating a cationic ACP LK to its anionic binding partner peptide (LEH) via a disulfide linker to trigger antitumor activity at acidic pH while masking its killing activity at normal pH. Three anionic binding peptides containing different numbers of glutamic acid (Glu) and histidine were engineered to obtain an efficient acid-activated ACP. The conjugates LK-LEH2 and LK-LEH3 exhibited 6.1 and 8.0-fold higher killing activity at pH 6.0 relative to at pH 7.4, respectively, suggesting their excellent pH-dependent antitumor activity; and their cytotoxicity was 10-fold lower than that of LK. However, LK-LEH4 had no pH-responsive killing effect. Interestingly, increasing the number of Glu from 2 to 4 increased the pH-response of the physical mixture of LK and LEH; conversely, they weakly decreased the cytotoxicity of LK, suggesting that the conjugate connection was required to achieve excellent pH dependence while maintaining minimum toxicity. LK-LEH2 and LK-LEH3 were more enzymatically stable than LK, indicating their potential for in vivo application. Our work provided a basis for designing promising ACPs with good selectivity and low toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Linlin Chang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hexin Bao
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Hui Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Sanhu Gou
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jingman Ni
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, China
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Yang D, Zhu L, Lin X, Zhu J, Qian Y, Liu W, Chen J, Zhou C, He J. Therapeutic Effects of Synthetic Triblock Amphiphilic Short Antimicrobial Peptides on Human Lung Adenocarcinoma. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14050929. [PMID: 35631515 PMCID: PMC9143638 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14050929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Because of their unique properties, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a potential reservoir of novel anticancer therapeutic agents. However, only a few AMPs can kill tumors with high efficiency, and obtaining inexpensive anticancer AMPs with strong activity is still a challenge. In our previous work, a series of original short amphiphilic triblock AMP (KnFmKn) analogues were developed which were demonstrated to exert excellent effects on bacterial infection, both in vitro and in vivo. Herein, the overall objectives were to assess the potent tumoricidal capacities of these analogues against human lung cancer cell line A549 and the underlying mechanism. The results of the CCK-8 assay revealed that the precise modification of the peptides’ primary sequences could modulate their tumoricidal potency. In the tumoricidal progress, positive charge and hydrophobicity were the key driving forces. Among these peptides, K4F6K4 displayed the most remarkable tumoricidal activity. Furthermore, the excellent anticancer capacity of K4F6K4 was proven by the live/dead cell staining, colony formation assay, and tumor growth observations on xenografted mice, which indicated that K4F6K4 might be a promising drug candidate for lung cancer, with no significant adverse effects in vitro or in vivo. In addition, the cell apoptosis assay using flow cytometry, the morphology observations using the optical microscope, confocal microscopy using CellMask™ Deep Red staining, and scanning electron microscope suggested that membrane disruption was the primary mechanism of its antitumor action. Through analyzing the structure–activity relationship, it was found that the amount of positive charge required for KnFmKn to exert its optimal tumoricidal effect was more than that needed for the antimicrobial activity, while the optimal proportion of hydrophobicity was less. Our findings suggest that further analysis of the structure–activity relationship of AMPs’ primary sequence variations will be beneficial. Hopefully, this work can provide guiding principles in designing peptide-based therapeutics for lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danjing Yang
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (D.Y.); (L.Z.); (X.L.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Liang Zhu
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (D.Y.); (L.Z.); (X.L.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Xiangyu Lin
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (D.Y.); (L.Z.); (X.L.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Jiaming Zhu
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (D.Y.); (L.Z.); (X.L.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Yusheng Qian
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China;
| | - Wenhui Liu
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (D.Y.); (L.Z.); (X.L.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Jianjun Chen
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (D.Y.); (L.Z.); (X.L.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (J.C.)
| | - Chuncai Zhou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, China;
- Correspondence: (C.Z.); (J.H.)
| | - Jing He
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (D.Y.); (L.Z.); (X.L.); (J.Z.); (W.L.); (J.C.)
- Correspondence: (C.Z.); (J.H.)
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Titanium carbide MXene-based hybrid hydrogel for chemo-photothermal combinational treatment of localized bacterial infection. Acta Biomater 2022; 142:113-123. [PMID: 35189382 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
With the increased emergence and threat of multi-drug resistant microorganisms, MXenes have become not only an emerging class of two-dimensional functional nanomaterials, but also potential nanomedicines (i.e., antimicrobial agents) that deserve further exploration. Very recently, Ti3C2 MXene was observed to offer a unique membrane-disruption effect and superior light-to-heat conversion efficiency, but its antibacterial property remains unsatisfactory due to poor MXene-bacteria interactions, low photothermal therapy efficiency, and occurrence of bacterial rebound in vivo. Herein, the cationic antibiotic ciprofloxacin (Cip) is combined with Ti3C2 MXene, and a hybrid hydrogel was constructed by incorporating Cip-Ti3C2 nanocomposites into the network structure of a Cip-loaded hydrogels to effectively trap and kill bacteria. We found that the Cip-Ti3C2 nanocomposites achieved an impressive in vitro bactericidal efficiency of >99.99999% (7.03 log10) for the inhibition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by combining chemotherapy with photothermal therapy. In an MRSA-induced murine abscess model, the hybrid hydrogel simultaneously achieved high-efficiency sterilization and long-term inhibition effects, avoiding the rebound of bacteria after photothermal therapy, and thus maximized the in vivo therapeutic efficacy of Ti3C2 MXene-based systems. Overall, this work provides a strategy for efficiently combating localized bacterial infection by rationally designing MXene-based hybrid hydrogels. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Two-dimensional Ti3C2 MXene was recently regarded as a promising functional nanomaterial, however, its antibacterial applications are limited by the poor MXene-bacteria interactions, low photothermal therapy efficiency, and the occurrence of bacterial rebound in vivo. This work aims to construct a Ti3C2 MXene-based hybrid hydrogel for chemo-photothermal therapy and enhance the antimicrobial performance via a combination of the high-efficiency sterilization of ciprofloxacin-Ti3C2 nanocomposites with the long-term inhibition effect of ciprofloxacin hydrogel. The present study provides an example of efficient MXene-based antimicrobials to treat localized bacterial infection such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-induced skin abscess.
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Rather IA, Sabir JSM, Asseri AH, Ali S. Antifungal Activity of Human Cathelicidin LL-37, a Membrane Disrupting Peptide, by Triggering Oxidative Stress and Cell Cycle Arrest in Candida auris. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8020204. [PMID: 35205958 PMCID: PMC8875705 DOI: 10.3390/jof8020204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida auris, an evolving multidrug-resistant pathogenic yeast, is known for causing severe invasive infections associated with high mortality rates in hospitalized individuals. Distinct from other Candida species, C. auris can persist for longer periods on different surfaces and is resistant to all of the major classes of antifungal drugs. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new antimycotic drugs with improved efficacy and reduced toxicity. The development of new antifungals based on antimicrobial peptides from various sources is considered a promising alternative. In this study, we examined the in vitro anti-yeast activity of the human cathelicidin peptides LL-37 against clinical strains of C. auris alone and in combination with different antifungal drugs by broth microdilution assay. To understand the antifungal mechanism of action, cell envelopes, cell cycle arrest, and effect on oxidative stress enzymes were studied using standard protocols. The minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations of cathelicidin LL-37 ranged from 25–100 and 50–200 µg/mL, respectively. A combination interaction in a 1:1 ratio (cathelicidin LL-37: antifungal drug) resulted in 70% synergy with fluconazole and 100% synergy with amphotericin B and caspofungin. Assessment of the C. auris membrane by using propidium iodide assay after exposure to cathelicidin LL-37 linked membrane permeabilization with inhibition of C. auris cell growth and viability. These results were backed up by scanning electron microscopy studies demonstrating that exposure with cathelicidin LL-37 caused C. auris cells to undergo extensive surface changes. Spectrophotometric analysis revealed that cathelicidin LL-37 caused oxidative stress in C. auris, as is evident from the significant increase in the activity of primary antioxidant enzymes. In addition, cathelicidin LL-37 inhibited the cell cycle and accumulated cells in the S phase. Therefore, these results specify the potential of cathelicidin LL-37 for developing a new and effective anti-Candida agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irfan A. Rather
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- Centre of Excellence in Bionanoscience Research, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: (I.A.R.); (S.A.)
| | - Jamal S. M. Sabir
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- Centre of Excellence in Bionanoscience Research, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amer H. Asseri
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Sajad Ali
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 385541, Korea
- Correspondence: (I.A.R.); (S.A.)
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Jung K, Corrigan N, Wong EHH, Boyer C. Bioactive Synthetic Polymers. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2105063. [PMID: 34611948 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202105063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic polymers are omnipresent in society as textiles and packaging materials, in construction and medicine, among many other important applications. Alternatively, natural polymers play a crucial role in sustaining life and allowing organisms to adapt to their environments by performing key biological functions such as molecular recognition and transmission of genetic information. In general, the synthetic and natural polymer worlds are completely separated due to the inability for synthetic polymers to perform specific biological functions; in some cases, synthetic polymers cause uncontrolled and unwanted biological responses. However, owing to the advancement of synthetic polymerization techniques in recent years, new synthetic polymers have emerged that provide specific biological functions such as targeted molecular recognition of peptides, or present antiviral, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities. In this review, the emergence of this generation of bioactive synthetic polymers and their bioapplications are summarized. Finally, the future opportunities in this area are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenward Jung
- Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD), Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN), and School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Nathaniel Corrigan
- Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD), Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN), and School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Edgar H H Wong
- Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD), Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN), and School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Cyrille Boyer
- Cluster for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD), Australian Centre for Nanomedicine (ACN), and School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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50
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Cai J. Editorial of Special Column "Novel Peptides and Peptidomimetics in Drug Discovery". Acta Pharm Sin B 2021; 11:2606-2608. [PMID: 34589384 PMCID: PMC8463287 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jianfeng Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
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