Aggregation State of Synergistic Antimicrobial Peptides

J Phys Chem Lett. 2020 Nov 5;11(21):9501-9506. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c02094. Epub 2020 Oct 27.

Abstract

By integrating various simulation and experimental techniques, we discovered that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may achieve synergy at an optimal concentration and ratio, which can be caused by aggregation of the synergistic peptides. On multiple time and length scales, our studies obtain novel evidence of how peptide coaggregation in solution can affect the disruption of membranes by synergistic AMPs. Our findings provide crucial details about the complex molecular origins of AMP synergy, which will help guide the future development of synergistic AMPs as well as applications of anti-infective peptide cocktail therapies.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Anti-Infective Agents / chemistry*
  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane / drug effects
  • Drug Synergism
  • Escherichia coli
  • Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins / chemistry*
  • Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins / pharmacology
  • Protein Aggregates
  • Protein Conformation

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins
  • Protein Aggregates