Publication details
Antimicrobial Efficacy of Cathelicidin Peptides on Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Background and Aims Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains are resistant to nearly all antibiotics, including carbapenems and cause many types of healthcare-associated infections. Cathelicidins are small cationic, amphiphilic peptides that exhibit broad-spectrum activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Methods MDR P. aeruginosa strains (n = 19) isolated from clinical samples were used to assess the antimicrobial effect of five cathelicidins and their combinations (LL-37, PMAP-23, SMAP-29, protegrin-1 and chicken CATH-2). An antimicrobial inhibition test was performed to evaluate minimal inhibition and bactericidal concentrations (MIC90 and MBC) for both planktonic forms of bacteria and biofilm. MIC90 was defined as a 10-fold decrease, and MBC as a 1000-fold decrease in bacterial numbers. Results SMAP-29, protegrin-1, and CATH-2 peptides showed bactericidal effect on all tested strains, LL-37 on 89,5 % of strains and PMAP-23 on 84 %. The most substantial synergistic effects were recorded in the following combinations: LL-37/SMAP-29, LL-37/protegrin-1, LL-37/CATH-2, SMAP-29/protegrin-1, PMAP-23/protegrin-1, PMAP-23/CATH-2. The peptide concentrations needed to observe the MIC90 antimicrobial effect in these combinations were up to 10-fold lower than when used individually. This effect was also noted when used for biofilm treatment. Conclusions All studied cathelicidin peptides showed antimicrobial activity against MDR P. aeruginosa strains. The potential cytotoxicity of antimicrobial peptides at higher concentrations hinders their therapeutic use. An appropriate combination of peptides allows for the reduction of the quantity of administered peptides, thus increasing their suitability for practical clinical use. This study was supported by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, grant nr. NU22-05-00475. All rights reserved. |
| Related projects: |