The Design and Construction of K11: A Novelα-Helical Antimicrobial Peptide

[摘要] Amphipathicα-helical antimicrobial peptides comprise a class of broad-spectrum agents that are used against pathogens. We designed a series of antimicrobial peptides, CP-P (KWKSFIKKLTSKFLHLAKKF) and its derivatives, and determined their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) againstPseudomonas aeruginosa, their minimum hemolytic concentrations (MHCs) for human erythrocytes, and the Therapeutic Index (MHC/MIC ratio). We selected the derivative peptide K11, which had the highest therapeutic index (320) among the tested peptides, to determine the MICs against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and 22 clinical isolates includingAcinetobacter baumannii, methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis,andKlebsiella pneumonia. K11 exhibited low MICs (less than 10 μg/mL) and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, especially against clinically isolated drug-resistant pathogens. Therefore, these results indicate that K11 is a promising candidate antimicrobial peptide for further studies.

[学科分类] 微生物学和免疫学