Efficacy of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against Escherichia coli and bacteria morphology change after AMP exposure

Yu Tzu Huang*, Selvaraj Rajesh Kumar, Hao Chun Chan, Zih Huei Jhan, Dave W. Chen, Shingjiang Jessie Lue

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

In recent years, bacterial drug resistance has become a major health concern worldwide owing to the limited efficacy of some traditional antibiotics after long-term usage. Here, to search for potent bacteriostatic agents, six cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) were investigated. L-GL13K, D-GL13K, MSI-594, indolicidin, Ib-M6 and nisinA-S29A were selected to study their bactericidal efficiency and the antibacterial mechanisms against Escherichia coli (E. coli). In addition to half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determinations using the standard method, the initial bacterial growth profiles at 4 h of AMP exposure were used to study the possible antibacterial mechanisms. The AMP-treated E. coli exhibited collapsed cell walls and various nanosized and microsized pores on the bacterial surface, which led to transmembrane channels and pore formation. Among the studied peptides, MSI-594, D-GL13K, and L-GL13K (in decreasing order) were identified as superior bactericidal agents, which may be attributed to the suitable conformational structure and surface charge during the interaction between these AMPs and bacteria.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)307-312
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers
Volume126
DOIs
StatePublished - 09 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers

Keywords

  • Antimicrobial peptides
  • Bactericidal mechanism
  • Gram-negative bacteria
  • Inhibitory concentration
  • Transmembrane pores

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