A Synthetic Cyclized Antimicrobial Peptide with Potent Effects against Drug-Resistant Skin Pathogens.
White. John Kerr JK; Mohanty. Soumitra S; Muhammad. Taj T; de Arriba Sanchez de la Campa. Magdalena M; Houssen. Wael E WE; Ferraz. Natalia N; Göransson. Ulf U; Brauner. Annelie A
Key Findings
- CD4‑PP kills antibiotic‑sensitive and resistant skin pathogens at <2 µM concentrations
- The peptide boosts innate immune activity in keratinocytes and clears infections in cultured skin cells
- Treatment with CD4‑PP reduces wound area in keratinocyte lawns infected with MRSA
Practical Outcomes
- CD4‑PP shows promise as a future topical anti‑infection gel for hard‑to‑treat skin wounds, but it’s still in early lab stages. Enthusiasts should watch for clinical trials or commercial products before trying it, and any off‑label use would require careful safety testing.
Summary
Scientists made a tiny, circular version of the natural peptide LL‑37 called CD4‑PP. In lab tests it kills both regular and drug‑resistant skin bacteria at very low concentrations and helps skin cells fight infection, even shrinking wound‑like areas in cell cultures.
Abstract
Dermal infections requiring treatment are usually treated with conventional antibiotics, but the rise of bacterial resistance to first-line antibiotics warrants alternative therapeutics. Here, we report that a backbone-cyclized antimicrobial peptide, CD4-PP, designed from the human host defense peptide LL-37, has strong direct antibacterial effects on antibiotic sensitive as well as resistant-type strains and clinical isolates of common skin pathogens in the low (<2) μM range. In addition, it influences innate immunity in keratinocytes, and treatment with CD4-PP is able to clear bacterial infections in infected keratinocytes. Additionally, CD4-PP treatment significantly reduces the wound area in a lawn of keratinocytes infected with MRSA. In conclusion, CD4-PP has the potential to serve as a future drug treating wounds infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Study Information
pubmed
2023
2023-05-03T00:00:00.000Z
10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00598
3
37