Work

Salt-Tolerant, Protease-Stable and Non-Resistance Developing Cationic AMPs for Combatting Planktonic MRSA and its Biofilms

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The global antimicrobial resistance crisis has stimulated the development of innovative therapeutics. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a critical pathogen responsible for skin and soft tissue infections. MRSA biofilms exhibit greater resistance to antibiotics compared to planktonic cells. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are potential alternatives but face challenges like high costs, salt sensitivity, toxicity, and protease degradability. This study developed highly potent, salt-tolerant, nontoxic, and proteolytically stable membranolytic AMPs: d-WRL (composed of all d-amino acids) and W-(Dab)-L (incorporating 2,4-diaminobutyric acid), which effectively prevented planktonic MRSA, inhibited biofilm formation, and eradicated ∼80% of mature biofilms, outperforming vancomycin with faster killing kinetics. The biofilm eradication ability was attributed to their protease stability. The developed AMPs prevented resistance development in MRSA over 96 generations, unlike ciprofloxacin, and thus are critical additions to the limited arsenal of potential MRSA-targeting therapeutics.

Source: ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters

DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.5c00121

Authors: Maitery Yadav, Tanisha Singh, Harsh Vikram Singh, Rajkumar P Thummer, Sunanda Chatterjee

Institution: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

Language: English

Topic: Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities

Subfield: Microbiology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati