Influence of Non-natural Cationic Amino Acids on the Biological Activity Profile of Innate Defense Regulator Peptides

J Med Chem. 2019 Nov 27;62(22):10294-10304. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01344. Epub 2019 Nov 12.

Abstract

Non-natural amino acids can be incorporated into synthetic host defense peptides (HDPs) to modulate their susceptibility to proteolytic degradation. However, the impact of non-natural amino acids on the antibiofilm and immunomodulatory activities of synthetic HDPs remains unclear. Using SPOT-synthesized peptide arrays, non-natural cationic amino acids of varying side chain lengths were incorporated into a synthetic HDP, IDR-1018, and the impact of these substitutions on the antibiofilm activity toward methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilms was assessed. Multiply-substituted derivatives were designed that incorporated favorable non-natural cationic amino acid moieties throughout IDR-1018. The antibiofilm and immunomodulatory activities of these derivatives were assessed in vitro, revealing that the incorporation of non-natural amino acids modulated (either positively or negatively) these activities of IDR-1018. Furthermore, the tryptic stability of the IDR-1018 derivatives was assessed revealing that proteolytic stability was favored for shorter cationic side chains and was influenced by the primary peptide sequence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acids / chemistry*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / toxicity
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / chemistry*
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / pharmacology*
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / toxicity
  • Biofilms
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Design
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Factors / chemistry
  • Immunologic Factors / pharmacology
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / drug effects
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Trypsin / metabolism

Substances

  • Amino Acids
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
  • Cytokines
  • Immunologic Factors
  • innate defense regulating peptide 1018
  • Trypsin

Grants and funding