Activities of a broad‐spectrum antimicrobial peptide analogue SAMP‐A4‐C8 and its combat against pneumonia in Staphylococcus aureus‐infected mice

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides and their analogues have become substitutes for antibiotics in recent years. The antimicrobial peptide analogue SAMP‐A4‐C8 (n‐octanoic‐VRLLRRRI) with high antimicrobial activity was found in our lab. We speculate that it may kill pathogens by some lethal mechanism of action. In the present investigation, the microbicidal activities of SAMP‐A4‐C8 and its mechanism of action were investigated. The results demonstrated that SAMP‐A4‐C8 had lethal activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans by cell disruption. Based on its microbicidal activities, we believe that it is worth further research for its potential as drug candidate. The results showed that SAMP‐A4‐C8, with low propensity to induce the resistance of S. aureus and C. albicans, could kill the persister cells of S. aureus and C. albicans, exhibited biofilm forming inhibition activity and preformed biofilm eradication ability against S. aureus and C. albicans, and displayed therapeutic potential on pneumonia in S. aureus‐infected mice by reducing lung inflammation. The present study provided a promising drug candidate in the war against multidrug resistance.

A Comprehensive Review of Recent Research into the Effects of Antimicrobial Peptides on Biofilms—January 2020 to September 2023

“…vCPP2319, a polycationic peptide derived from the Torque virus capsid protein, exhibited activity against established biofilms by killing biofilm embedded bacteria but had no effect on the EPS matrix [66]. The frog skin-derived AMP brevinine-1E-OG9, its analogue (brevinine-1E-)OG9c-De-NH2 [67], and temporin G [68] as well as the synthetic AMP SAMP-A4-C8 not only effectively inhibited and eradicated biofilms but also killed the dormant persister cells, herewith counteracting the recalcitrance of S. aureus infections [69]. Both AP7121, produced by E. faecalis CECT7121 [70], and in silico designed 1018-k6 [71] dose-dependently inhibited biofilm formation on inert surfaces.…”