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ZL-2, a cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptide, has a broad antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria in vitro and in vivo

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Abstract

Alloferons are a group of naturally occurring peptides primarily isolated from insects that are capable of stimulating mouse and human NK cell cytotoxicity toward cancer cells. In this study, we found that a modified antibacterial peptide had a broad range of action against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. A time-course experiment showed that CFU counts rapidly decreased after ZL-2 treatment, with the bacteria nearly eliminated within 4 h. We also examined the synergy between the peptide and antibiotics. The peptide ZL-2 resulted in a significant synergistic improvement in the potencies of ampicillin, erythromycin and ceftazidime against methicillin-resistant bacteria. In addition, ZL-2 had no detectable cytotoxicity in mouse spleen cells or a mouse animal model. In the mouse model by i.p. inoculation with Escherichia coli, timely treatment of i.p. injection with ZL-2 resulted in 100-fold reduction in bacteria load in blood as well as 80 % protection from death in the inoculated animals. In conclusion, we successfully identified a modified peptide with maximal bactericidal activity. This study also provides a potential therapeutic for the treatment of E. coli septicemia by increasing the activity of antimicrobials.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that no conflict of interest exists in the present study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhangjiagang First People’s Hospital, Zhangjiagang, Suzhou, 215600, Jiangsu, China

    Jiancheng Tu, Geping Wu, Yun Zuo & Shusheng Wang

  2. Institute of Frontier Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130033, Jilin, China

    Lei Zhao

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  1. Jiancheng Tu
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  2. Geping Wu
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  3. Yun Zuo
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  4. Lei Zhao
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  5. Shusheng Wang
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Correspondence to Shusheng Wang.

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Tu, J., Wu, G., Zuo, Y. et al. ZL-2, a cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptide, has a broad antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria in vitro and in vivo. Arch. Pharm. Res. 38, 1802–1809 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-015-0565-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-015-0565-z

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