In vitro activity of the antimicrobial peptides human and rabbit defensins and porcine leukocyte protegrin against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Defensins: A novel weapon against Mycobacterium tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious airborne communicable disease caused by organisms of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) complex. Although the standard treatment antimicrobials, including isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, have made great progress in the treatment of TB, problems including the rising incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), the severe toxicity and side effects of antimicrobials, and the low immunity of TB patients have become the bottlenecks of the current TB treatments. Therefore, both safe and effective new strategies to prevent and treat TB have become a top priority. As a subfamily of cationic antimicrobial peptides, defensins are rich in cysteine and play a vital role in resisting the invasion of microorganisms and regulating the immune response. Inspired by studies on the roles of defensins in host defence, we describe their research history and then review their structural features and antimicrobial mechanisms, specifically for fighting Mtb in detail. Finally, we discuss the clinical relevance, therapeutic potential, and potential challenges of defensins in anti-TB therapy. We further debate the possible solutions of the current application of defensins to provide new insights for eliminating Mtb.

Membrane-active and DNA binding related double-action antimycobacterial mechanism of antimicrobial peptide W3R6 and its synthetic analogs

The emergence of multidrug- or extremely drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains has made very few drugs available for current tuberculosis treatment. Antimicrobial peptides can be employed as a promising alternative strategy for TB treatment. Here, we designed and synthesized a series of peptide sequences based on the structure-activity relationships of natural sequences of antimicrobial peptides. The peptide W3R6 and its analogs were screened and found to have potent antimycobacterial activity against M. smegmatis, and no hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes. The evidence from the mechanism of action study indicated that W3R6 and its analogs can interact with the mycobacterial membrane in a lytic manner and form pores on the outer membrane of M. smegmatis. Significant colocalization of D-W3R6 with mycobacterial DNA was observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy and DNA retardation assays, which suggested that the antimycobacterial mechanism of action of the peptide was associated with the unprotected genomic DNA of M. smegmatis. In general, W3R6 and its analogs act on not only the mycobacterial membrane but also the genomic DNA in the cytoplasm, which makes it difficult for mycobacteria to generate resistance due to the peptides having two targets. In addition, the peptides can effectively eliminate M. smegmatis cells from infected macrophages. Our findings indicated that the antimicrobial peptide W3R6 could be a novel lead compound to overcome the threat from drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains in the development of potent AMPs for TB therapeutic applications.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell-wall and antimicrobial peptides: a mission impossible?

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is one of the most important infectious agents worldwide and causes more than 1.5 million deaths annually. To make matters worse, the drug resistance among Mtb strains has risen substantially in the last few decades. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to find patients infected with Mtb strains that are virtually resistant to all antibiotics, which has led to the urgent search for new molecules and therapies. Over previous decades, several studies have demonstrated the efficiency of antimicrobial peptides to eliminate even multidrug-resistant bacteria, making them outstanding candidates to counterattack this growing health problem. Nevertheless, the complexity of the Mtb cell wall makes us wonder whether antimicrobial peptides can effectively kill this persistent Mycobacterium. In the present review, we explore the complexity of the Mtb cell wall and analyze the effectiveness of antimicrobial peptides to eliminate the bacilli.

Etiology of viral induced acute liver failure and defensins as potential therapeutic agents in ALF treatment

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare and severe disease, which, despite continuous advances in medicine, is still characterized by high mortality (65-85%). Very often, a liver transplant is the only effective treatment for ALF. Despite the implementation of prophylactic vaccinations in the world, the viral background of ALF is still a problem and leads to many deaths. Depending on the cause of ALF, it is sometimes possible to reverse this condition with appropriate therapies, which is why the search for effective antiviral agents seems to be a very desirable direction of research. Defensins, which are our natural antimicrobial peptides, have a very high potential to be used as therapeutic agents for infectious liver diseases. Previous studies on the expression of human defensins have shown that increased expression of human α and β-defensins in HCV and HBV infections is associated with a better response to treatment. Unfortunately, conducting clinical trials for ALF is very difficult due to the severity of the disease and the low incidence, therefore animal models are important for the development of new therapeutic strategies. One of the best animal models that has real reference to research on acute liver failure (ALF) is rabbit hemorrhagic disease in rabbits caused by the Lagovirus europaeus virus. So far, there have been no studies on the potential of defensins in rabbits infected with Lagovirus europaeus virus.

The roles of neutrophils in non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease

Non-tuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease (NTM-PD) is an increasingly recognised global health issue. Studies have suggested that neutrophils may play an important role in controlling NTM infection and contribute to protective immune responses within the early phase of infection. However, these cells are also adversely associated with disease progression and exacerbation and can contribute to pathology, for example in the development of bronchiectasis. In this review, we discuss the key findings and latest evidence regarding the diverse functions of neutrophils in NTM infection. First, we focus on studies that implicate neutrophils in the early response to NTM infection and the evidence reporting neutrophils' capability to kill NTM. Next, we present an overview of the positive and negative effects that characterise the bidirectional relationship between neutrophils and adaptive immunity. We consider the pathological role of neutrophils in driving the clinical phenotype of NTM-PD including bronchiectasis. Finally, we highlight the current promising treatments in development targeting neutrophils in airways diseases. Clearly, more insights on the roles of neutrophils in NTM-PD are needed in order to inform both preventative strategies and host-directed therapy for these important infections.

Mycobacterial Membranes as Actionable Targets for Lipid-Centric Therapy in Tuberculosis

Infectious diseases remain significant health concerns worldwide, and resistance is particularly common in patients with tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The development of anti-infectives with novel modes of action may help overcome resistance. In this regard, membrane-active agents, which modulate membrane components essential for the survival of pathogens, present attractive antimicrobial agents. Key advantages of membrane-active compounds include their ability to target slow-growing or dormant bacteria and their favorable pharmacokinetics. Here, we comprehensively review recent advances in the development of membrane-active chemotypes that target mycobacterial membranes and discuss clinically relevant membrane-active antibacterial agents that have shown promise in counteracting bacterial infections. We discuss the relationship between the membrane properties and the synthetic requirements within the chemical scaffold, as well as the limitations of current membrane-active chemotypes. This review will lay the chemical groundwork for the development of membrane-active antituberculosis agents and will foster the discovery of more effective antitubercular agents.

Tandem Repeat of a Short Human Chemerin-Derived Peptide and Its Nontoxic d-Lysine-Containing Enantiomer Display Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial and Antitubercular Activities

To design novel antimicrobial peptides by utilizing the sequence of the human host defense protein, chemerin, a seven-residue amphipathic stretch located in the amino acid region, 109-115, was identified, which possesses the highest density of hydrophobic and positively charged residues. Although this 7-mer peptide was inactive toward microorganisms, its 14-mer tandem repeat (Chem-KVL) was highly active against different bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain, and slow- and fast-growing mycobacterial species. The selective enantiomeric substitutions of its two l-lysine residues were attempted to confer cell selectivity and proteolytic stability to Chem-KVL. Chem-8dK with a d-lysine replacement in its middle (eighth position) showed the lowest hemolytic activity against human red blood cells among Chem-KVL analogues and maintained high antimicrobial properties. Chem-8dK showed in vivo efficacy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in BALB/c mice and inhibited the development of resistance in this microorganism up to 30 serial passages and growth of intracellular mycobacteria in THP-1 cells.

Neutrophil extracellular traps enhance macrophage killing of bacterial pathogens

Neutrophils and macrophages are critical to the innate immune response, but cooperative mechanisms used by these cells to combat extracellular pathogens are not well understood. This study reveals that S100A9-deficient neutrophils produce higher levels of mitochondrial superoxide in response to Staphylococcus aureus and, as a result, form neutrophil extracellular traps (suicidal NETosis). Increased suicidal NETosis does not improve neutrophil killing of S. aureus in isolation but augments macrophage killing. NET formation enhances antibacterial activity by increasing phagocytosis by macrophages and by transferring neutrophil-specific antimicrobial peptides to them. Similar results were observed in response to other phylogenetically distinct bacterial pathogens including Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, implicating this as an immune defense mechanism that broadly enhances antibacterial activity. These results demonstrate that achieving maximal bactericidal activity through NET formation requires macrophages and that accelerated and more robust suicidal NETosis makes neutrophils adept at increasing antibacterial activity, especially when A9 deficient.

Antimicrobial peptides in domestic animals and their applications in veterinary medicine

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules with a broad-spectrum activity against bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses. These peptides are widely distributed in insects, amphibians and mammals. Indeed, they are key molecules of the innate immune system with remarkable antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activity. Besides, these peptides have also shown regulatory activity for gut microbiota and have been considered inductors of growth performance. The current review describes the updated findings of antimicrobial peptides in domestic animals, such as bovines, goats, sheep, pigs, horses, canines and felines, analyzing the most relevant aspects of their use as potential therapeutics and their applications in Veterinary medicine.

Anti-mycobacterial activity evaluation of designed peptides: cryptic and database filtering based approach

Worldwide, TB is one of the deadly airborne diseases, which accounts for 10.4 million deaths annually. Serious toxicity issue, prolonged treatment regimens of the current drugs, rise in multidrug-resistant strains, and the unique defensive mechanism makes the development of novel therapeutic molecules against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) an urgent need. As MT has a lengthy latent phase and unique cell wall architecture, a reasonable approach is needed to find molecules having a different killing mechanism rather than traditional approaches. Host defence peptides (HDPs) will be the most promising alternative, potential therapeutic candidates as they target the microbial membrane in particular and are an essential part of the innate immunity of humans. This works demonstrates the utility of "Database filtering" and three-dimensional (3D) modelling approach in finding novel AMPs with appreciable activity towards MT. Results of this study indicate that peptides with 70% hydrophobicity, but without hydrophobicity patches (> 4 hydrophobic amino acids in series) and charge of + 4 or + 5 are most likely to be good anti-tubercular candidates.

Bacteria-induced expression of the pig-derived protegrin-1 transgene specifically in the respiratory tract of mice enhances resistance to airway bacterial infection

About 70% of all antibiotics produced in the world are used in the farm animal industry. The massive usage of antibiotics during farm animal production has caused rapid development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, which poses a serious risk to human and livestock health when treating bacterial infections. Protegrin-1 (PG-1) is a potent antimicrobial peptide (AMP). It was initially identified in pig leukocytes with a broad-spectrum antibacterial and antiviral activity, and a low rate of inducing bacterial resistance. To develop a genetic approach for reducing the use of antibiotics in farm animal production, we produced transgenic mice carrying a bovine tracheal AMP gene promoter-controlled PG-1 transgene. The PG-1 transgene was specifically expressed in the respiratory tract of transgenic mice upon induction by bacterial infection. These PG-1 transgenic mice exhibited enhanced resistance to nasal bacterial infection as the transgenic mice showed a higher survival rate (79.17% VS. 34.78%), lower bacterial load and milder histological severity than their wild-type control littermates. The improved resistance to bacterial infection in the PG-1 transgenic mice could be resulted from the direct bacteria-killing activities of PG-1, and the immunomodulatory effects of PG-1 via stimulating interleukin 1 beta secretion. The present study provides a promising genetic strategy to prevent airway bacterial infections in farm animals by bacteria-inducible tissue-specific expression of PG-1 transgene. This approach may also be helpful for decreasing the possibility of inducing bacterial resistance during farm animal production.

Host-Directed Therapies and Anti-Virulence Compounds to Address Anti-Microbial Resistant Tuberculosis Infection

Despite global efforts to contain tuberculosis (TB), the disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, further exacerbated by the increased resistance to antibiotics displayed by the tubercle bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In order to treat drug-resistant TB, alternative or complementary approaches to standard anti-TB regimens are being explored. An area of active research is represented by host-directed therapies which aim to modulate the host immune response by mitigating inflammation and by promoting the antimicrobial activity of immune cells. Additionally, compounds that reduce the virulence of M. tuberculosis, for instance by targeting the major virulence factor ESX-1, are being given increased attention by the TB research community. This review article summarizes the current state of the art in the development of these emerging therapies against TB.

A review on anti-tuberculosis peptides: Impact of peptide structure on anti-tuberculosis activity

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health problem globally. Particularly concerning amongst drug-resistant human pathogens is Mycobacterium tuberculosis that causes the deadly infectious tuberculosis (TB) disease. Significant issues associated with current treatment options for drug-resistant TB and the high rate of mortality from the disease makes the development of novel treatment options against this pathogen an urgent need. Antimicrobial peptides are part of innate immunity in all forms of life and could provide a potential solution against drug-resistant TB. This review is a critical analysis of antimicrobial peptides that are reported to be active against the M tuberculosis complex exclusively. However, activity on non-TB strains such as Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare, whenever available, have been included at appropriate sections for these anti-TB peptides. Natural and synthetic antimicrobial peptides of diverse sequences, along with their chemical structures, are presented, discussed, and correlated to their observed antimycobacterial activities. Critical analyses of the structure allied to the anti-mycobacterial activity have allowed us to draw important conclusions and ideas for research and development on these promising molecules to realise their full potential. Even though the review is focussed on peptides, we have briefly summarised the structures and potency of the various small molecule drugs that are available and under development, for TB treatment.

Potentials of Host-Directed Therapies in Tuberculosis Management

Tuberculosis (TB) remains as a leading cause of mortality in developing countries, persisting as a major threat to the global public health. Current treatment involving a long antibiotic regimen brings concern to the topic of patient compliance, contributing to the emergence of drug resistant TB. The current review will provide an updated outlook on novel anti-TB therapies that can be given as adjunctive agents to current anti-TB treatments, with a particular focus on modulating the host immune response to effectively target all forms of TB. Additional potential therapeutic pathway targets, including lipid metabolism alteration and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-directed therapies, are discussed.

Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides for Tuberculosis: A Mini-Review

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) can be considered as new potential therapeutic agents for Tuberculosis treatment with a specific amino acid sequence. New studies can be developed in the future to improve the pharmacological properties of CAMPs and also understand possible resistance mechanisms. This review discusses the principal properties of natural and/or synthetic CAMPs, and how these new peptides have a significant specificity for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Also, we propose some alternative strategies to enhance the therapeutic activity of these CAMPs that include coadministration with nanoparticles and/or classic drugs.

A novel derivative of the fungal antimicrobial peptide plectasin is active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis has been reaffirmed as the infectious disease causing most deaths in the world. Co-infection with HIV and the increase in multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains complicate treatment and increases mortality rates, making the development of new drugs an urgent priority. In this study we have identified a promising candidate by screening antimicrobial peptides for their capacity to inhibit mycobacterial growth. This non-toxic peptide, NZX, is capable of inhibiting both clinical strains of M. tuberculosis and an MDR strain at therapeutic concentrations. The therapeutic potential of NZX is further supported in vivo where NZX significantly lowered the bacterial load with only five days of treatment, comparable to rifampicin treatment over the same period. NZX possesses intracellular inhibitory capacity and co-localizes with intracellular bacteria in infected murine lungs. In conclusion, the data presented strongly supports the therapeutic potential of NZX in future anti-TB treatment.

Antimicrobial peptides as an alternative to anti-tuberculosis drugs

Tuberculosis (TB) presently accounts for high global mortality and morbidity rates, despite the introduction four decades ago of the affordable and efficient four-drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol). Thus, a strong need exists for new drugs with special structures and uncommon modes of action to effectively overcome M. tuberculosis. Within this scope, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are small, cationic and amphipathic peptides that comprise a section of the innate immune system, are currently the leading potential agents for the treatment of TB. Many studies have recently illustrated the capability of anti-mycobacterial peptides to disrupt the normal mycobacterial cell wall function through various modes, thereby interacting with the intracellular targets, as well as encompassing nucleic acids, enzymes and organelles. This review presents a wide array of antimicrobial activities, alongside the associated properties of the AMPs that could be utilized as potential agents in therapeutic tactics for TB treatment.

Defensins: The Case for Their Use against Mycobacterial Infections

Human tuberculosis remains a huge global public health problem with an estimated 1/3rd of the population being infected. Defensins are antibacterial cationic peptides produced by a number of cell types, most notably neutrophil granulocytes and epithelial cells. All three defensin types (α-, β-, and θ-defensins) have antibacterial activities, mainly through bacterial membrane permeabilization. Defensins are effective against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria including mycobacteria and are active both intra- and extracellularly. Mycobacterial resistance has never been demonstrated although the mprF gene encoding resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is present in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome. In addition to their antibacterial effect, defensins are chemoattractants for macrophages and neutrophils. There are many cases for their use for therapy or prophylaxis in tuberculosis as well. In conclusion, we propose that there is considerable scope and potential for exploring their use as therapeutic/prophylactic agents and more comprehensive survey of defensins from different species and their bioactivity is timely.

Novel high throughput pooled shRNA screening identifies NQO1 as a potential drug target for host directed therapy for tuberculosis

Chemical regulation of macrophage function is one key strategy for developing host-directed adjuvant therapies for tuberculosis (TB). A critical step to develop these therapies is the identification and characterization of specific macrophage molecules and pathways with a high potential to serve as drug targets. Using a barcoded lentivirus-based pooled short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) library combined with next generation sequencing, we identified 205 silenced host genes highly enriched in mycobacteria-resistant macrophages. Twenty-one of these "hits" belonged to the oxidoreductase functional category.

NAD(P)H

quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) was the top oxidoreductase "hit". NQO1 expression was increased after mycobacterial infection, and NQO1 knockdown increased macrophage differentiation, NF-κB activation, and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β in response to infection. This suggests that mycobacteria hijacks NQO1 to down-regulate pro-inflammatory and anti-bacterial functions. The competitive inhibitor of NQO1 dicoumarol synergized with rifampin to promote intracellular killing of mycobacteria. Thus, NQO1 is a new host target in mycobacterial infection that could potentially be exploited to increase antibiotic efficacy in vivo. Our findings also suggest that pooled shRNA libraries could be valuable tools for genome-wide screening in the search for novel druggable host targets for adjunctive TB therapies.

Combined Bioinformatic and Rational Design Approach To Develop Antimicrobial Peptides against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Drug-resistant pathogens are a growing problem, and novel strategies are needed to combat this threat. Among the most significant of these resistant pathogens is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is an unusually difficult microbial target due to its complex membrane. Here, we design peptides for specific activity against M. tuberculosis using a combination of "database filtering" bioinformatics, protein engineering, and de novo design. Several variants of these peptides are structurally characterized to validate the design process. The designed peptides exhibit potent activity (MIC values as low as 4 μM) against M. tuberculosis and also exhibit broad activity against a host of other clinically relevant pathogenic bacteria such as Gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). They also display excellent selectivity, with low cytotoxicity against cultured macrophages and lung epithelial cells. These first-generation antimicrobial peptides serve as a platform for the design of antibiotics and for investigating structure-activity relationships in the context of the M. tuberculosis membrane. The antimicrobial peptide design strategy is expected to be generalizable for any pathogen for which an activity database can be created.

Interaction between antimicrobial peptides and mycobacteria

Mycobacteria can cause different severe health problems, including tuberculosis (TB). The treatment of TB with conventional antibiotics is successful, however, the number of multi-drug and extensively-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains increases. Moreover, many classical antimycobacterial antibiotics have severe side effects. Therefore, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) seem to be good candidates for new therapeutic strategies. On the one hand AMPs can be used as a single drug or in combination with conventional antibiotics to directly kill mycobacteria, or on the other hand to act as immunstimulatory agents. This review summarizes the findings on the role of endogenous human AMPs being involved in TB, the antimycobacterial activity of various AMPs, and the molecular modes of action. Most active AMPs interact with the mycobacterial cell envelope and in particular with the mycomembrane and the plasma membrane. The mycomembrane is a very rigid membrane probably leading to a lower activity of the AMPs against mycobacteria as compared to other Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria. For some AMPs also other targets have been identified. Because of the complex environment of intracellular mycobacteria being trapped in the phagosome, within the macrophage, within the granuloma, within the lung, the external administration of AMPs in the latent phase of TB is a challenge. However, in the acute phase the AMPs can attack mycobacteria in a direct way. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antimicrobial peptides edited by Karl Lohner and Kai Hilpert.

The ATPase activity of the mycobacterial plasma membrane is inhibited by the LL37-analogous peptide LLAP

The emergence of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains has led to the development of new antituberculous agents. In this context, antimicrobial targeting proteins to the cell membrane are interesting due to the avoidance of the plasma membrane permeation. Through this study, the antimicrobial activity, cellular toxicity, as well as the effect on the mycobacterial cell membrane ATPase activity of a cathelicidin-analogous peptide were assessed. By using bioinformatics analyses, a 15 amino acid LL37-analogous peptide called LLAP, which has the amino acid sequence: GRKSAKKIGKRAKRI, was designed to improve its helical structure and antibacterial activity compared to the native sequence. The LLAP peptide was synthesized, purified by RP-HPLC and its structural characteristics were determined by MALDI-TOF MS and circular dichroism. Compared to the native amino acid sequence, the minimum inhibitory concentration and cytotoxic activity of LLAP were 4.0 and 5.6-fold lower, respectively. In addition, the hemolytic activity of LLAP was lower than 1.1% and the cytotoxic activity of peptides was similar for both peptides. Interestingly, the LLAP peptide displayed approximately 50% inhibition of basal ATPase activity of the mycobacterial plasma membrane, which could in turn be associated with the impaired cell viability. The results suggest that LLAP could be considered as potential antimycobacterial compounds against cell membrane targeting ATPases. However, this antimycobacterial activity can be improved. It is expected further applications to be found for other antimicrobial peptides families based on the implemented methodology.

Short, Synthetic Cationic Peptides Have Antibacterial Activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis by Forming Pores in Membrane and Synergizing with Antibiotics

Multicellular organisms are constantly exposed to a multitude of pathogenic microbes. Infection is inhibited in vivo by the innate and adaptive immune system. Mycobacterium species have emerged that are resistant to most antibiotics. We identified several naturally occurring cationic antimicrobial peptides that were active at low micromolar concentrations against Mycobacterium smegmatis. Human-derived cathelicidin LL-37 is well characterized and studied against M. smegmatis; we compared LL-37 with Chinese cobra-derived cathelicidin NA-CATH and mouse cathelicidin (mCRAMP). Two synthetic 11-residue peptides (ATRA-1A and ATRA-2) containing variations of a repeated motif within NA-CATH were tested for their activity against M. smegmatis along with a short synthetic peptide derivative from the human beta-defensin hBD3 (hBD3-Pep4). We hypothesized that these smaller synthetic peptides may demonstrate antimicrobial effectiveness with shorter length (and at less cost), making them strong potential candidates for development into broad-spectrum antimicrobial compounds or use in combination with antibiotics. These peptides have antimicrobial activity with EC50 ranging from 0.05 to 1.88 μg/mL against Mycobacterium smegmatis. The ATRA-1A short peptide was found to be the most effective antimicrobial peptide (AMP) (EC50 = 0.05 μg/mL). High bactericidal activity correlated with bacterial membrane depolarization and permeabilization activities. The efficacy of the peptides was further analyzed through Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) assays. The MICs were determined by the microdilution method. The peptide mCRAMP showed the best MIC activity at 15.6 μg/mL. Neither of the effective short synthetic peptides demonstrated synergy with the antibiotic rifampicin, although both demonstrated synergy with the cyclic peptide antibiotic polymyxin B. The peptides LL-37 and mCRAMP displayed synergism with rifampicin in MIC assays, whereas antibiotic polymyxin B displayed synergism with LL-37, ATRA-1A, and hBD3-Pep4. In further studies, polymyxin B synergized with LL-37, ATRA-1A, and hBD3-Pep4 while Rifampicin synergized with LL-37 and mCRAMP for intracellular killing of mycobacteria residing inside macrophages. These studies provide the foundation for the potential development of synthetic cationic antimicrobial peptides with activity against mycobacteria.

Characterization of IL-22 and antimicrobial peptide production in mice protected against pulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans infection

Cryptococcus neoformans is a significant cause of fungal meningitis in patients with impaired T cell-mediated immunity (CMI). Experimental pulmonary infection with a C. neoformans strain engineered to produce IFN-γ, H99γ, results in the induction of Th1-type CMI, resolution of the acute infection, and protection against challenge with WT Cryptococcus. Given that individuals with suppressed CMI are highly susceptible to pulmonary C. neoformans infection, we sought to determine whether antimicrobial peptides were produced in mice inoculated with H99γ. Thus, we measured levels of antimicrobial peptides lipocalin-2, S100A8, S100A9, calprotectin (S100A8/A9 heterodimer), serum amyloid A-3 (SAA3), and their putative receptors Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in mice during primary and recall responses against C. neoformans infection. Results showed increased levels of IL-17A and IL-22, cytokines known to modulate antimicrobial peptide production. We also observed increased levels of lipocalin-2, S100A8, S100A9 and SAA3 as well as TLR4(+) and RAGE(+) macrophages and dendritic cells in mice inoculated with H99γ compared with WT H99. Similar results were observed in the lungs of H99γ-immunized, compared with heat-killed C. neoformans-immunized, mice following challenge with WT yeast. However, IL-22-deficient mice inoculated with H99γ demonstrated antimicrobial peptide production and no change in survival rates compared with WT mice. These studies demonstrate that protection against cryptococcosis is associated with increased production of antimicrobial peptides in the lungs of protected mice that are not solely in response to IL-17A and IL-22 production and may be coincidental rather than functional.

Identification of Mycobacterium avium genes associated with resistance to host antimicrobial peptides

Antimicrobial peptides are an important component of the innate immune defence. Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (M. avium) is an organism that establishes contact with the respiratory and gastrointestinal mucosa as a necessary step for infection. M. avium is resistant to high concentrations of polymyxin B, a surrogate for antimicrobial peptides. To determine gene-encoding proteins that are associated with this resistance, we screened a transposon library of M. avium strain 104 for susceptibility to polymyxin B. Ten susceptible mutants were identified and the inactivated genes sequenced. The great majority of the genes were related to cell wall synthesis and permeability. The mutants were then examined for their ability to enter macrophages and to survive macrophage killing. Three clones among the mutants had impaired uptake by macrophages compared with the WT strain, and all ten clones were attenuated in macrophages. The mutants were also shown to be susceptible to cathelicidin (LL-37), in contrast to the WT bacterium. All but one of the mutants were significantly attenuated in mice. In conclusion, this study indicated that the M. avium envelope is the primary defence against host antimicrobial peptides.

Antiviral potential of cathelicidins

ABSTRACT: The global burden of morbidity and mortality arising from viral infections is high; however, the development of effective therapeutics has been slow. As our understanding of innate immunity has expanded over recent years, knowledge of natural host defenses against viral infections has started to offer potential for novel therapeutic strategies. An area of current research interest is in understanding the roles played by naturally occurring cationic host defense peptides, such as the cathelicidins, in these innate antiviral host defenses across different species. This research also has the potential to inform the design of novel synthetic antiviral peptide analogs and/or provide rationale for therapies aimed at boosting the natural production of these peptides. In this review, we will discuss our knowledge of the antiviral activities of cathelicidins, an important family of cationic host defense peptides, and consider the implications for novel antiviral therapeutic approaches.

Anti-mycobacterial activities of synthetic cationic α-helical peptides and their synergism with rifampicin

The rapid emergence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) and the lack of effective therapies have prompted the development of compounds with novel mechanisms of action to tackle this growing public health concern. In this study, a series of synthetic cationic α-helical antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) modified with different hydrophobic amino acids was investigated for their anti-mycobacterial activity, both alone and in synergistic combinations with the frontline anti-tuberculosis drug rifampicin. The addition of thiol groups by incorporating cysteine residues in the AMPs did not improve anti-mycobacterial activity against drug-susceptible and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while the enhancement of peptide hydrophobicity by adding methionine residues increased the efficacy of the primary peptide against all strains tested, including clinically isolated multidrug-resistant mycobacteria. The peptide with the optimal composition M(LLKK)2M was bactericidal, and eradicated mycobacteria via a membrane-lytic mechanism as demonstrated by confocal microscopic studies. Mycobacteria did not develop resistance after multiple exposures to sub-lethal doses of the peptide. In addition, the peptide displayed synergism with rifampicin against both Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium bovis BCG and additivity against M. tuberculosis. Moreover, such combination therapy is effective in delaying the emergence of rifampicin resistance. The ability to potentiate anti-TB drug activity, kill drug-resistant bacteria and prevent drug resistance highlights the potential utility of the peptide in combating multidrug-resistant TB.

Defensins: natural component of human innate immunity

The widespread use of antibiotics has contributed to a huge increase in the number of resistant bacteria. New classes of drugs are therefore being developed of which defensins are a potential source. Defensins are a group of antimicrobial peptides found in different living organisms, involved in the first line of defense in their innate immune response against pathogens. This review summarizes the results of studies of this family of human antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). There is a special emphasis on describing the entire group and individual peptides, history of their discovery, their functions and expression sites. The results of the recent studies on the use of the biologically active peptides in human medicine are also presented. The pharmaceutical potential of human defensins cannot be ignored, especially considering their strong antimicrobial activity and properties such as low molecular weight, reduced immunogenicity, broad activity spectrum and resistance to proteolysis, but there are still many challenges and questions regarding the possibilities of their practical application.

Tissue distribution, expression, and antimicrobial activity of Anas platyrhynchos avian β-defensin 6

In this study, a novel avian β-defensin (AvBD) was isolated from the Chaohu duck. The complete nucleotide sequence of the gene contained a 204-bp open reading frame that encoded 67 amino acids (aa), including a signal peptide of 20 aa, a propiece of 5 aa, and a mature peptide of 42 aa. The homology, characterization, and comparison of this gene with AvBD from other avian species confirmed that it was duck AvBD6. Also, the preproprotein of AvBD6 from chicken, goose, and duck was highly conserved with 100% aa homology. The AvBD6 mRNA was widely expressed in the investigated tissues of healthy 5-mo-old ducks, with the exception of the skin, kidney, and bursa. The AvBD6 mRNA was highly expressed in the spleen, lung, stomach, tongue, and egg yolk, successively; moderately expressed in the bone marrow and liver; and expressed to lower degrees in the trachea, heart, intestine, muscle, esophagus, and testis. We produced recombinant AvBD6 by expressing the gene in Escherichia coli. The yield of soluble glutathione S-transferees (GST)-AvBD6 in the inclusion bodies increased significantly as the incubation temperature was decreased from 37 to 30°C. As expected, the GST-AvBD6 exhibited strong bactericidal properties [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 0.5 to 2 μM] against the Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria strain BJCP-5, E. coli, and Enterococcus faecalis [ATCC 29212); it possessed medium bactericidal properties (MIC = 4 to 8 μM) against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteritidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and Bacillus subtilis (CMCC 63501;; and it possessed low bactericidal properties (MIC = 16 μM) against Candida albicans (ATCC 10231). Additionally, the antimicrobial activity of GST-AvBD6 proved to be the same as that of synthetic AvBD6. The A. veronii biovar sobria strain BJCP-5 cells that were treated with GST-AvBD6 showed lysis and shrinkage under scanning electron microscopy. The mechanisms of AvBD6-mediated killing of A. veronii biovar sobria involved both cell lysis and nonlysis. Our results indicate that AvBD6 plays an important role in the innate immunity of the Chaohu duck.

Targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other microbial pathogens using improved synthetic antibacterial peptides

The lack of effective therapies for treating tuberculosis (TB) is a global health problem. While Mycobacterium tuberculosis is notoriously resistant to most available antibiotics, we identified synthetic short cationic antimicrobial peptides that were active at low micromolar concentrations (less than 10 μM). These small peptides (averaging 10 amino acids) had remarkably broad spectra of antimicrobial activities against both bacterial and fungal pathogens and an indication of low cytotoxicity. In addition, their antimicrobial activities displayed various degrees of species specificity that were not related to taxonomy. For example, Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus were the best surrogates to predict peptide activity against M. tuberculosis, while Mycobacterium smegmatis was a poor surrogate. Principle component analysis of activity spectrum profiles identified unique features associated with activity against M. tuberculosis that reflect their distinctive amino acid composition; active peptides were more hydrophobic and cationic, reflecting increased tryptophan with compensating decreases in valine and other uncharged amino acids and increased lysine. These studies provide foundations for development of cationic antimicrobial peptides as potential new therapeutic agents for TB treatment.

Host defense peptides: an alternative as antiinfective and immunomodulatory therapeutics

Host defense peptides are conserved components of innate immune response present among all classes of life. These peptides are potent, broad spectrum antimicrobial agents with potential as novel therapeutic compounds. Also, the ability of host defense peptides to modulate immunity is an emerging therapeutic concept since its selective modulation is a novel antiinfective strategy. Their mechanisms of action and the fundamental differences between pathogens and host cells surfaces mostly lead to a not widely extended microbial resistance and to a lower toxicity toward host cells. Biological libraries and rational design are novel tools for developing such molecules with promising applications as therapeutic drugs.

The synthetic cathelicidin HHC-10 inhibits Mycobacterium bovis BCG in vitro and in C57BL/6 mice

Tuberculosis causes close to 1.5 million deaths in the world, with new cases exceeding 9 million in recent years. Coinfection with HIV further worsens the global situation. New molecules that overcome the limitations of currently used drugs are needed. We aimed to determine whether HHC-10 is active against the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteria Mycobacterium bovis bacille calmette guerin (BCG) in vitro and in vivo. For this, HHC-10 was tested in vitro using different peptide concentrations, and in vivo, in C57BL/6 mice infected intratracheally, at two doses (1.25 and 2.5 mg kg(-1), once a week, 4 weeks). Interferon (IFN)-γ, TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-10 mRNA transcript levels were compared between treated and nontreated mice. In vitro, HHC-10 decreased 69% and 88% the number of colony-forming units (CFU) per millileter recovered after 24-hr treatment at 50 and 100 μg/ml, respectively. In vivo, BCG CFUs in mouse lungs were reduced 77.8% and 95.8% at 1.25 and 2.5 mg kg(-1), respectively. IFN-γ expression was lower in the HHC-10-treated group than that of nontreated animals. Considering genomic conservation between BCG and M. tuberculosis, the in vitro and in vivo activities of HHC-10 observed in this study suggest that the use of this peptide may be useful as therapeutic agent against tuberculosis.

Activity of LL-37, CRAMP and antimicrobial peptide-derived compounds E2, E6 and CP26 against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major worldwide health problem in part due to the lack of development of new treatments and the emergence of new strains such as multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant strains that are threatening and impairing the control of this disease. In this study, the efficacy of natural and synthetic cationic antimicrobial (host defence) peptides that have been shown often to possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity was tested. The natural antimicrobial peptides human LL-37 and mouse CRAMP as well as synthetic peptides E2, E6 and CP26 were tested for their activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis both in in vitro and in vivo models. The peptides had moderate antimicrobial activities, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 2 μg/mL to 10 μg/mL. In a virulent model of M. tuberculosis lung infection, intratracheal therapeutic application of these peptides three times a week at doses of ca. 1mg/kg led to significant 3-10-fold reductions in lung bacilli after 28-30 days of treatment. The treatments worked both against the drug-sensitive H37Rv strain and a MDR strain. These results indicate that antimicrobial peptides might constitute a novel therapy against TB.

Effect of antimicrobial peptides on ATPase activity and proton pumping in plasma membrane vesicles obtained from mycobacteria

The potential usefulness of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as antimycobacterial compounds has not been extensively explored. Although a myriad of studies on AMPs from different sources have been done, some of its mechanisms of action are still unknown. Maganins are of particular interest since they do not lyse non-dividing mammalian cells. In this work, AMPs with well-recognized activity against bacteria were synthesized, characterized, purified and their antimycobacterial activity and influence on ATPase activity in mycobacterial plasma membrane vesicles were assessed. Using bioinformatics tools, a magainin-I analog peptide (MIAP) with improved antimicrobial activity was designed. The influence of MIAP on proton (H(+)) pumping mediated by F(1)F(0)-ATPase in plasma membrane vesicles obtained from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was evaluated. We observed that the antimycobacterial activity of AMPs was low and variable. However, the activity of the designed peptide MIAP against M. tuberculosis was 2-fold higher in comparison to magainin-I. The basal ATPase activity of mycobacterial plasma membrane vesicles decreased approximately 24-30% in the presence of AMPs. On the other hand, the MIAP peptide completely abolished the F(1)F(0)-ATPase activity involved in H(+) pumping across M. tuberculosis plasma membranes vesicles at levels similar to the specific inhibitor N,N' dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. These finding suggest that AMPs can inhibit the H(+) pumping F(1)F(0)-ATPase of mycobacterial plasma membrane that potentially interferes the internal pH and viability of mycobacteria.

Neutrophils in tuberculosis: friend or foe?

Neutrophils are rapidly recruited to sites of mycobacterial infection, where they phagocytose bacilli. Whether neutrophils can kill mycobacteria in vivo probably depends on the tissue microenvironment, stage of infection, individual host, and infecting organism. The interaction of neutrophils with macrophages, as well as the downstream effects on T cell activity, could result in a range of outcomes from early clearance of infection to dissemination of viable bacteria together with an attenuated acquired immune response. In established disease, neutrophils accumulate in situations of high pathogen load or immunological dysfunction, and are likely to contribute to pathology. These activities may have clinical importance in terms of new treatments, targeted interventions and vaccine strategies.

Peptides and proteins with antimicrobial activity

The increase of microbial resistance to antibiotics has led to a continuing search for newer and more effective drugs. Antimicrobial peptides are generally found in animals, plants, and microorganisms and are of great interest to medicine, pharmacology, and the food industry. These peptides are capable of inhibiting pathogenic microorganisms. They can attack parasites, while causing little or no harm to the host cells. The defensins are peptides found in granules in the polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and are responsible for the defense of the organism. Several animal defensins, like dermaseptin, antileukoprotease, protegrin, and others, have had their activities and efficacy tested and been shown to be effective against bacteria, fungi, and protists; there are also specific defensins from invertebrates, e.g., drosomycin and heliomicin; from plants, e.g., the types A and B; and the bacteriocins, e.g., acrocin, marcescin, etc. The aim of the present work was to compile a comprehensive bibliographic review of the diverse potentially antimicrobial peptides in an effort to systematize the current knowledge on these substances as a contribution for further researches. The currently available bibliography does not give a holistic approach on this subject. The present work intends to show that the mechanism of defense represented by defensins is promising from the perspective of its application in the treatment of infectious diseases in human, animals and plants.

Retrocyclins and their activity against HIV-1

Primate theta-defensins are physically distinguished as the only known fully-cyclic peptides of animal origin. Humans do not produce theta-defensin peptides due to a premature stop codon present in the signal sequence of all six theta-defensin pseudogenes. Instead, since the putative coding regions of human theta-defensin pseudogenes have remained remarkably intact, their corresponding peptides, called “retrocyclins”, have been recreated using solid-phase synthetic approaches. Retrocyclins exhibit an exceptional therapeutic index both as inhibitors of HIV-1 entry and as bactericidal agents, which makes retrocyclins promising candidates for further development as topical microbicides to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. This review presents the evolution, antiretroviral mechanism of action, and potential clinical applications of retrocyclins to prevent sexual transmission of HIV-1.

Kinetics and cellular sources of cathelicidin during the course of experimental latent tuberculous infection and progressive pulmonary tuberculosis

In spite of advances in immunology on mycobacterial infection, there are few studies on the role of anti-microbial peptides in tuberculosis. The cathelin-related anti-microbial peptide (CRAMP) is the only cathelicidin isolated from mice. In this work we investigated the cellular sources and the production kinetics of this molecule during experimental tuberculosis, using two well-characterized models of latent or chronic infection and progressive disease. The lung of non-infected control mice expressed CRAMP at very low levels. In both models of experimental tuberculosis the main cells immunolabelled for CRAMP were bronchial epithelial cells, macrophages and pneumocytes types II and I. After intratracheal infection with a high bacilli dose (H37Rv strain) in Balb/c mice to produce progressive disease, a high CRAMP gene expression was induced showing three peaks: very early after 1 day of infection, at day 21 when the peak of protective immunity in this model is raised, and at day 28 when the progressive phase starts and the immunoelectronmicroscopy study showed intense immunolabelling in the cell wall and cytoplasm of intracellular bacilli, as well as in cytoplasmic vacuoles. Interestingly, at day 60 post-infection, when advanced progressive disease is well established, characterized by high bacillary loads and extensive tissue damage, CRAMP gene expression decreased but strong CRAMP immunostaining was detected in vacuolated macrophages filled with bacilli. Thus, cathelicidin is highly produced during experimental pulmonary tuberculosis from diverse cellular sources and could have significant participation in its pathogenesis.

Neutrophils: Cinderella of innate immune system

Neutrophils are the first line of innate immune defense against infectious diseases. However, since their discovery by Elie Metchnikoff, they have always been considered tissue-destructive cells responsible for inflammatory tissue damage occurring during acute infections. Now, extensive research in the field of neutrophil cell biology and their role skewing the immune response in various infections or inflammatory disorders revealed their importance in the regulation of immune response. Along with releasing various antimicrobial molecules, neutrophils also release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) for the containment of infection and inflammation. Activated neutrophils provide signals for the activation and maturation of macrophages as well as dendritic cells. Neutrophils are also involved in the regulation of T-cell immune response against various pathogens and tumor antigens. Thus, the present review is intended to highlight the emerging role of neutrophils in the regulation of both innate and adaptive immunity during acute infectious or inflammatory conditions.

Intracellular pH of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis following exposure to antimicrobial compounds monitored at the single cell level

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the etiologic agent of Johne's disease; moreover, it seems to be implicated in the development of Crohn's disease in humans. In the present study, fluorescence ratio imaging microscopy (FRIM) was used to assess changes in intracellular pH (pH(i)) of one strain of MAP after exposure to nisin and neutralized cell-free supernatants (NCSs) from five bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with known probiotic properties. The evaluation of pH(i) by FRIM provides information about the physiological state of bacterial cells, bypassing the long and problematic incubations needed for methods relying upon growth of MAP such as determination of colony forming units. The FRIM results showed that both nisin and the cell-free supernatant from Lactobacillus plantarum PCA 236 affected the pH(i) of MAP within a few hours. However, monitoring the population for 24h revealed the presence of a subpopulation of cells probably resistant to the antimicrobial compounds tested. Use of nisin and bacteriocin-producing LAB strains could lead to new intervention strategies for the control of MAP based on in vivo application of probiotic cultures as feed additives at farm level.

Delivery of cytosolic components by autophagic adaptor protein p62 endows autophagosomes with unique antimicrobial properties

Autophagy allows cells to self-digest portions of their own cytoplasm for a multitude of physiological purposes, including innate and adaptive immunity functions. In one of its innate immunity manifestations, autophagy, is known to contribute to the killing of intracellular microbes, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, although the molecular mechanisms have been unclear. Here, we delineated sequential steps of the autophagic pathway necessary to control intracellular M. tuberculosis and found that in addition to autophagy initiation and maturation, an accessory autophagy-targeting molecule p62 (A170 or SQSTM1) was required for mycobactericidal activity. The p62 adaptor protein delivered specific ribosomal and bulk ubiquitinated cytosolic proteins to autolysosomes where they were proteolytically converted into products capable of killing M. tuberculosis. Thus, p62 brings cytosolic proteins to autolysosomes where they are processed from innocuous precursors into neo-antimicrobial peptides, explaining in part the unique bactericidal properties of autophagic organelles.

When two is better than one: macrophages and neutrophils work in concert in innate immunity as complementary and cooperative partners of a myeloid phagocyte system

The antimicrobial effector activity of phagocytes is crucial in the host innate defense against infection, and the classic view is that the phagocytes operating against intracellular and extracellular microbial pathogens are,respectively, macrophages and neutrophils. As a result of the common origin of the two phagocytes, they share several functionalities, including avid phagocytosis,similar kinetic behavior under inflammatory/infectious conditions, and antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities. However, consequent to specialization during their differentiation, macrophages and neutrophils acquire distinctive, complementary features that originate different levels of antimicrobial capacities and cytotoxicity and different tissue localization and lifespan.This review highlights data suggesting the perspective that the combination of overlapping and complementary characteristics of the two professional phagocytes promotes their cooperative participation as effectors and modulators in innate immunity against infection and as orchestrators of adaptive immunity. In the concerted activities operating in antimicrobial innate immunity, macrophages and neutrophils are not able to replace each other. The common and complementary developmental,kinetic, and functional properties of neutrophils and macrophages make them the effector arms of a myeloid phagocyte system that groups neutrophils with members of the old mononuclear phagocyte system. The use by mammals of a system with two dedicated phagocytic cells working cooperatively represents an advantageous innate immune attack strategy that allows the efficient and safe use of powerful but dangerous microbicidal molecules.This crucial strategy is a target of key virulence mechanisms of successful pathogens.

Factors that deregulate the protective immune response in tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic infectious disease which essentially affects the lungs and produces profound abnormalities on the immune system. Although most people infected by the tubercle bacillus (90%) do not develop the disease during their lifetime, when there are alterations in the immune system, such as co-infection with HIV, malnutrition, or diabetes, the risk of developing active disease increases considerably. Interestingly, during the course of active disease, even in the absence of immunosuppressive conditions, there is a profound and prolonged suppression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific protective immune responses. Several immune factors can contribute to downregulate the protective immunity, permitting disease progression. In general, many of these factors are potent anti-inflammatory molecules that are probably overproduced with the intention to protect against tissue damage, but the consequence of this response is a decline in protective immunity facilitating bacilli growth and disease progression. Here the most significant participants in protective immunity are reviewed, in particular the factors that deregulate protective immunity in TB. Their manipulation as novel forms of immunotherapy are also briefly commented.