Characterization of the host-defense peptides from skin secretions of Merlin's clawed frog Pseudhymenochirus merlini: insights into phylogenetic relationships among the Pipidae

From defense to offense: antimicrobial peptides as promising therapeutics for cancer

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), naturally occurring components of innate immunity, are emerging as a promising new class of anticancer agents. This review explores the potential of AMPs as a novel class of anticancer agents. AMPs, naturally occurring peptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, exhibit several characteristics that make them attractive candidates for cancer therapy, including selectivity for cancer cells, broad-spectrum activity, and immunomodulatory effects. Analysis of a dataset of AMPs with anticancer activity reveals that their effectiveness is influenced by various structural properties, including net charge, length, Boman index, and hydrophobicity. These properties contribute to their ability to target and disrupt cancer cell membranes, interfere with intracellular processes, and modulate the immune response. The review highlights the promising potential of AMPs as a new frontier in cancer treatment, offering hope for more effective and less toxic therapies. AMPs demonstrate promising potential in cancer therapy through multiple mechanisms, including direct cytotoxicity, immune response modulation, and targeting of the tumor microenvironment, as evidenced by extensive preclinical studies in animal models showing tumor regression, metastasis inhibition, and improved survival rates. AMPs show significant potential as cancer therapeutics through their direct cytotoxicity, immune response modulation, and tumor microenvironment targeting, with promising results from preclinical studies and early-phase clinical trials. Future research should focus on optimizing AMP properties, developing novel delivery strategies, and exploring synergistic combination therapies to fully realize their potential as effective cancer treatments, while addressing challenges related to stability, delivery, and potential toxicity.

An Update on the Therapeutic Potential of Antimicrobial Peptides against Acinetobacter baumannii Infections

The rise in antibiotic-resistant strains of clinically important pathogens is a major threat to global health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized the urgent need to develop alternative treatments to address the growing list of priority pathogens. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) rank among the suggested options with proven activity and high potential to be developed into effective drugs. Many AMPs are naturally produced by living organisms protecting the host against pathogens as a part of their innate immunity. Mechanisms associated with AMP actions include cell membrane disruption, cell wall weakening, protein synthesis inhibition, and interference in nucleic acid dynamics, inducing apoptosis and necrosis. Acinetobacter baumannii is a critical pathogen, as severe clinical implications have developed from isolates resistant to current antibiotic treatments and conventional control procedures, such as UV light, disinfectants, and drying. Here, we review the natural AMPs representing primary candidates for new anti-A. baumannii drugs in post-antibiotic-era and present computational tools to develop the next generation of AMPs with greater microbicidal activity and reduced toxicity.

Identification of New Ocellatin Antimicrobial Peptides by cDNA Precursor Cloning in the Frame of This Family of Intriguing Peptides

Ocellatins are a family of antimicrobial peptides found exclusively in the Leptodactylus genus. To date, 10 species have been studied and more than 23 peptides described. Here we report the sequences of five new peptides from the skin of the frog Leptodactylus latrans (Anura: Leptodactylidae) determined by cDNA cloning of the complete prepro-peptide structures. The mature peptides were characterized with in silico tools and compared with those previously described. With 21 amino acid residues, this new set of peptides not previously described in the Leptodactylus genus share between 100 and 76.2% similarity to ocellatin antimicrobial peptides. These novel peptides are cationic and their three-dimensional (3D) structure holds the highly conserved residues G¹, D⁴, K⁷, and K¹¹ and a high theoretical amphipathic α-helix content. Furthermore, in silico analyses of these new peptides predicted antimicrobial activity. This study is framed in the context of previous work published about ocellatins, and therefore, provides a review of this intriguing family of peptides.

The power of amphibians to elucidate mechanisms of size control and scaling

Size is a fundamental feature of biology that affects physiology at all levels, from the organism to organs and tissues to cells and subcellular structures. How size is determined at these different levels, and how biological structures scale to fit together and function properly are important open questions. Historically, amphibian systems have been extremely valuable to describe scaling phenomena, as they occupy some of the extremes in biological size and are amenable to manipulations that alter genome and cell size. More recently, the application of biochemical, biophysical, and embryological techniques to amphibians has provided insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying scaling of subcellular structures to cell size, as well as how perturbation of normal size scaling impacts other aspects of cell and organism physiology.

Antimicrobial peptides as a promising treatment option against Acinetobacter baumannii infections

BACKGROUND

With the increasing rate of antibiotic resistance in Acinetobacter, the World Health Organization introduced the carbapenem-resistant isolates in the priority pathogens list for which innovative new treatments are urgently needed. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are one of the antimicrobial agents with high potential to produce new anti-Acinetobacter drugs. This review aims to summarize recent advances and compare AMPs with anti-Acinetobacter baumannii activity.

METHODS

Active AMPs against Acinetobacter were considered, and essential features, including structure, mechanism of action, anti-A. baumannii potent, and other prominent characteristics, were investigated and compared to each other. In this regard, the Google Scholar search engine and databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were used.

RESULTS

Forty-six anti-Acinetobacter peptides were identified and classified into ten groups: Cathelicidins, Defensins, Frog AMPs, Melittin, Cecropins, Mastoparan, Histatins, Dermcidins, Tachyplesins, and computationally designed AMPs. According to the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) reports, six peptides of Melittin, Histatin-8, Omega76, AM-CATH36, Hymenochirin, and Mastoparan have the highest anti-A. baumannii power against sensitive and antibiotic-resistant isolates. All anti-Acinetobacter peptides except Dermcidin have a net positive charge. Most of these peptides have alpha-helical structure; however, β-sheet and other structures have been observed among them. The mechanism of action of these antimicrobial agents is divided into two categories of membrane-based and intracellular target-based attack.

CONCLUSION

Evidence from this review indicates that AMPs would be likely among the main anti-A. baumannii drugs in the post-antibiotic era. Also, the application of computer science to increase anti-A. baumannii activity and reduce toxicity could be helpful.

Peptides from frog skin with potential for development into agents for Type 2 diabetes therapy

Several frog skin peptides, first identified as result of their antimicrobial or immunomodulatory activities, have subsequently been shown to stimulate insulin release both in vitro and in vivo and so show potential for development into incretin-based drugs for treatment of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, their therapeutic potential as anti-diabetic agents is not confined to this activity as certain frog skin-derived peptides, such as magainin-AM2 and CPF-SE1 and analogs of hymenochirin-1B, tigerinin-1R, and esculentin-2CHa, have been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, promote β-cell proliferation, suppress pancreatic and circulating glucagon concentrations, improve the lipid profile, and selectively alter expression of genes involved in insulin secretion and action in mice with diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance. This review assesses the therapeutic possibilities of peptides from frogs belonging to the Pipidae, Dicroglossidae, and Ranidae families, focusing upon work that has been carried out since 2014.

The Potential of Frog Skin-Derived Peptides for Development into Therapeutically-Valuable Immunomodulatory Agents

The aim of this article is to review the immunoregulatory actions of frog skin-derived peptides in order to assess their potential as candidates for immunomodulatory or anti-inflammatory therapy. Frog skin peptides with demonstrable immunomodulatory properties have been isolated from skin secretions of a range of species belonging to the families Alytidae, Ascaphidae, Discoglossidae, Leptodactylidae, Pipidae and Ranidae. Their effects upon production of inflammatory and immunoregulatory cytokines by target cells have been evaluated ex vivo and effects upon cytokine expression and immune cell activity have been studied in vivo by flow cytometry after injection into mice. The naturally-occurring peptides and/or their synthetic analogues show complex and variable actions on the production of proinflammatory (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-12, IL-23, IL-8, IFN-γ and IL-17), pleiotropic (IL-4 and IL-6) and immunosuppressive (IL-10 and TGF-β) cytokines by peripheral and spleen cells, peritoneal cells and/or isolated macrophages. The effects of frenatin 2.1S include enhancement of the activation state and homing capacity of Th1-type lymphocytes and NK cells in the mouse peritoneal cavity, as well as the promotion of their tumoricidal capacities. Overall, the diverse effects of frog skin-derived peptides on the immune system indicate their potential for development into therapeutic agents.

Conformational Analysis of the Host-Defense Peptides Pseudhymenochirin-1Pb and -2Pa and Design of Analogues with Insulin-Releasing Activities and Reduced Toxicities

Pseudhymenochirin-1Pb (Ps-1Pb; IKIPSFFRNILKKVGKEAVSLIAGALKQS) and pseudhymenochirin-2Pa (Ps-2Pa; GIFPIFAKLLGKVIKVASSLISKGRTE) are amphibian peptides with broad spectrum antimicrobial activities and cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. In the membrane-mimetic solvent 50% (v/v) trifluoroethanol-H2O, both peptides adopt a well-defined α-helical conformation that extends over almost all the sequence and incorporates a flexible bend. Both peptides significantly (p < 0.05) stimulate the rate of release of insulin from BRIN-BD11 clonal β-cells at concentrations ≥ 0.1 nM but produce loss of integrity of the plasma membrane at concentrations ≥ 1 μM. Increasing cationicity by the substitution Glu(17) → l-Lys in Ps-1Pb and Glu(27) → l-Lys in Ps-2Pa generates analogues with increased cytotoxicity and reduced insulin-releasing potency. In contrast, the analogues [R8r]Ps-1Pb and [K8k,K19k]Ps-2Pa, incorporating d-amino acid residues to destabilize the α-helical domains, retain potent insulin-releasing activity but are nontoxic to BRIN-BD11 cells at concentrations of 3 μM. [R8r]Ps-1Pb produces a significant increase in insulin release rate at 0.3 nM and [K8k,K19k]Ps-2Pa at 0.01 nM. Both analogues show low hemolytic activity (IC50 > 100 μM) but retain broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and remain cytotoxic to a range of human tumor cell lines, albeit with lower potency than the naturally occurring peptides. These analogues show potential for development into agents for type 2 diabetes therapy.

Pipa carvalhoi skin secretion profiling: absence of peptides and identification of kynurenic acid as the major constitutive component

The presence of peptides has been identified in all African pipid genera; nevertheless, little is known about skin secretion of South American frog genus Pipa. Skin secretion from captive and wild Pipa carvalhoi were obtained in the presence or absence of norepinephrine stimulation. The <10 kDa fraction was analyzed by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, searching for peptides. Chromatographic profiles show the presence of a major component in this secretion, regardless of the stimulation method (norepinephrine or mechanical stimulation) and the origin of the animal (captivity or wild), as well as in the absence of any stimulus. The general mass distribution profile in P. carvalhoi skin secretion shows numerous components below 800 Da. Moreover, no peptide could be identified, regardless of the chromatographic approach. The major component was purified and identified as kynurenic acid, an L-tryptophan derivative. P. carvalhoi does not secrete peptides as toxins in its skin. In addition, we here report that kynurenic acid is the main component of P. carvalhoi skin secretion. Although no biological activity was associated with kynurenic acid, we propose that this molecule is a pheromone that signals the presence of a co-specific in the shady environment in which this animal lives. In this study we demonstrate the absence of peptidic toxins in the skin secretion of P. carvalhoi, a break of paradigm in the pipid family.

Anti-cancer, immunoregulatory, and antimicrobial activities of the frog skin host-defense peptides pseudhymenochirin-1Pb and pseudhymenochirin-2Pa

Pseudhymenochirin-1Pb (Ps-1Pb) and pseudhymenochirin-2Pa (Ps-2Pa) are host-defense peptides, first isolated from skin secretions of the frog Pseudhymenochirus merlini (Pipidae). Ps-1Pb and Ps-2Pa are highly cytotoxic (LC50<12 μM) against non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells, breast adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells, and colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells but are also hemolytic against human erythrocytes (LC50=28±2 μM for Ps-1Pb and LC50=6±1 μM for Ps-2Pa). Ps-2Pa shows selective cytotoxicity for tumor cells (LC50 against non-neoplastic human umbilical vein (HUVEC) cells=68±2 μM). Ps-1Pb and Ps-2Pa (5 μg/mL) significantly inhibit production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and the multifunctional cytokine IL-6 from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated peritoneal macrophages from C57BL/6 mice and enhance the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-23 from both unstimulated and LPS-stimulated macrophages. Ps-1Pb potently (MIC≤10 μM) inhibits growth of multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of the Gram-positive bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, and the Gram-negative bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Ps-2Pa shows the same high potency (MIC≤10 μM) against the Gram-positive bacteria but is 2-4 fold less potent against the Gram-negative isolates. Ps-1Pb at 4×MIC kills 99.9% of Escherichia coli within 30 min and 99.9% of S. aureus within 180 min. In conclusion, cytotoxicity against tumor cells, cytokine-mediated immunomodulatory properties, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity suggest that the Ps-1Pb and Ps-2Pa represent templates for design of non-hemolytic analogs for tumor therapy and for treatment of infections in cancer patients produced by multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Low structural variation in the host-defense peptide repertoire of the dwarf clawed frog Hymenochirus boettgeri (Pipidae)

THE skin secretion of many amphibians contains peptides that are able to kill a broad range of microorganisms (antimicrobial peptides: AMPs) and potentially play a role in innate immune defense. Similar to the toxin arsenals of various animals, amphibian AMP repertoires typically show major structural variation, and previous studies have suggested that this may be the result of diversifying selection in adaptation to a diverse spectrum of pathogens. Here we report on transcriptome analyses that indicate a very different pattern in the dwarf clawed frog H. boettgeri. Our analyses reveal a diverse set of transcripts containing two to six tandem repeats, together encoding 14 distinct peptides. Five of these have recently been identified as AMPs, while three more are shown here to potently inhibit the growth of gram-negative bacteria, including multi-drug resistant strains of the medically important Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Although the number of predicted peptides is similar to the numbers of related AMPs in Xenopus and Silurana frog species, they show significantly lower structural variation. Selection analyses confirm that, in contrast to the AMPs of other amphibians, the H. boettgeri peptides did not evolve under diversifying selection. Instead, the low sequence variation among tandem repeats resulted from purifying selection, recent duplication and/or concerted gene evolution. Our study demonstrates that defense peptide repertoires of closely related taxa, after diverging from each other, may evolve under differential selective regimes, leading to contrasting patterns of structural diversity.

Host-defense peptides with therapeutic potential from skin secretions of frogs from the family pipidae

Skin secretions from frogs belonging to the genera Xenopus, Silurana, Hymenochirus, and Pseudhymenochirus in the family Pipidae are a rich source of host-defense peptides with varying degrees of antimicrobial activities and cytotoxicities to mammalian cells. Magainin, peptide glycine-leucine-amide (PGLa), caerulein-precursor fragment (CPF), and xenopsin-precursor fragment (XPF) peptides have been isolated from norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions from several species of Xenopus and Silurana. Hymenochirins and pseudhymenochirins have been isolated from Hymenochirus boettgeri and Pseudhymenochirus merlini. A major obstacle to the development of these peptides as anti-infective agents is their hemolytic activities against human erythrocytes. Analogs of the magainins, CPF peptides and hymenochirin-1B with increased antimicrobial potencies and low cytotoxicities have been developed that are active (MIC < 5 μM) against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Despite this, the therapeutic potential of frog skin peptides as anti-infective agents has not been realized so that alternative clinical applications as anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-diabetic, or immunomodulatory drugs are being explored.