Abstract
pH-activity profiling reveals that antimicrobial peptide dendrimers (AMPDs) kill Klebsiella pneumoniae and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at pH = 8.0, against which they are inactive at pH = 7.4, due to stronger electrostatic binding to bacterial cells at higher pH. A similar effect occurs with polymyxin B and might be general for polycationic antimicrobials.
MeSH terms
-
Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
-
Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
-
Dendrimers / chemistry
-
Dendrimers / pharmacology*
-
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
-
Klebsiella pneumoniae / drug effects*
-
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects*
-
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
-
Molecular Conformation
-
Molecular Dynamics Simulation
-
Peptides / chemistry
-
Peptides / pharmacology*
-
Polymyxin B / chemistry
-
Polymyxin B / pharmacology*
Substances
-
Anti-Bacterial Agents
-
Dendrimers
-
Peptides
-
Polymyxin B