title: Design of hybrid β-hairpin peptides with enhanced cell specificity and potent anti-inflammatory activity.
abstract: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted considerable attention for their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and reduced tendency to cause bacterial resistance. Emerging concerns over the host cytotoxicity of AMPs, however, may ultimately compromise their development as pharmaceuticals. In order to optimize AMPs with potent cell specificity and anti-inflammatory activity, we designed β-hairpin hybrid peptides based upon progetrin-1, bovine lactoferricin and cecropin A. The synthetic hybrid peptides LB-PG and CA-PG demonstrated high selectivity over a wide range of microbes from Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in porcine red blood cells. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show that these peptides kill microbial cells by penetrating the cell membrane and damaging the membrane envelope. Gel retardation demonstrates that the peptides have a high affinity for DNA, indicating an additional possible intracellular bactericidal mechanism. Moreover, the hybrid peptides inhibit the expression of LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α) and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1(MCP-1), following LPS stimulation in RAW264.7 cells. Our results indicate that these hybrid peptides have considerable potential for future development as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents.
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory of Biological Feed Safety and Pollution Prevention and Control, Key laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Ministry of Education, Institute of Feed Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: YiFan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: YiZhen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002417:Cattle; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D015195:Drug Design; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D059748:Proteolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010455:Peptides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D004247:DNA