Silver‐Nanoparticle‐Embedded Short Amphiphilic Peptide Nanostructures and Their Plausible Application to Reduce Bacterial Infections

Abstract

The microbiota‐gut‐brain axis (GBA) plays a critical role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiome causes a significant alteration in the gut microbiota of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, followed by neuroinflammatory processes. Thus, AD beginning in the gut is closely related to an imbalance in gut microbiota, and hence a multidomain approach to reduce this imbalance by exerting positive effects on the gut microbiota is needed. In one example, a tyrosine‐based short peptide amphiphile (sPA) was used to synthesize antibacterial AgNPs−sPA nanostructures. Such nanostructures showed high biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity, and therefore work as model drug delivery agents for addressing local bacterial infections. These may have therapeutic value for the treatment of microbiota‐triggered progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

Self-assembling short peptide amphiphiles as versatile delivery agents: a new frontier in antibacterial research

“…25 Of note, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of sPA–AgNPs hybrids displayed comparable potency against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, including drug-resistant strains such as Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Acinetobacter baumannii . 45,46,50…”

“…This targeted delivery approach holds promise for combating neurodegenerative diseases associated with microbiota. 46,50,56…”

“…Moreover, the development of multifunctional PAs capable of targeting specific bacterial strains or antibiotic-resistant pathogens while minimizing cytotoxicity to mammalian cells represents an area of active research. 46,[50][51][52][53][54]…”

“…25 Of note, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of sPA-AgNPs hybrids displayed comparable potency against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, including drug-resistant strains such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii. 45,46,50 A notable modification in our study involved substituting the central Phe-Phe segment of short peptide amphiphiles (sPAs) with slightly hydrophilic aromatic dipeptides Tyr-Tyr, characterized by metal-chelating hydroxyl groups. 23 This alteration was particularly significant as it allowed for a fascinating morphological transformation in these metal-chelating nanofibers, transitioning their structure from fibrous to sheet-like nanostructures.…”

Metallic Nanocarriers for Therapeutic Peptides: Emerging Solutions Addressing the Delivery Challenges in Brain Ailments

“…A recent report showed silver composite with short peptide amphiphile nanostructures were shown to balance the microbiota of Alzheimer's condition (Kumar Tripathi, Kesharwani et al 2023). The microbiota-gut brain axis highly influences the development of neurodegenerative disorders.…”