title: Antibacterial activities of the cathelicidins prophenin (residues 62 to 79) and LL-37 in the presence of a lung surfactant preparation.
abstract: The antibacterial activities of the cathelicidin peptides LL-37 and an 18-residue C-terminal fragment of prophenin, corresponding to positions 62 to 79 of native prophenin (PF-18), were analyzed in the presence of a modified surfactant preparation isolated from minced porcine lungs. At low micromolar concentrations, both LL-37 and PF-18 showed significant activities against different serotypes of group B streptococci, with LL-37 being more active on a molar basis. The surfactant preparation at a concentration of 10 mg/ml partly blocked the antibacterial activity of 9 microM LL-37 and completely blocked the antibacterial activity of 9 microM PF-18. However, 10 mg of the surfactant preparation per ml had only minor inhibitory effects on LL-37 and PF-18 at 90 microM. Addition of up to 900 microM PF-18 did not affect the surface properties of the surfactant preparation. These data suggest that surfactant preparations containing antimicrobial peptides could be useful for the local treatment of pulmonary infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Yuqin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Gabi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: Egbert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Herting
authors.forename: Birgitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Agerberth
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054804:Cathelicidins; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011506:Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D054804:Cathelicidins; D011506:Proteins; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; C092764:prophenin 1