The therapeutic application of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), a potential type of peptide-based biomaterial, is impeded by their poor antimicrobial activity and potential cytotoxicity as a lack of understanding of their structure-activity relationships. In order to comprehensively enhance the antibacterial and clinical application potency of AMPs, a rational approach was applied to design amphiphilic peptides, including head-to-tail cyclic, linear and D-proline antimicrobial peptides using the template (IR)nP(IR)nP (n = 1, 2 and 3). Results showed that these amphiphilic peptides demonstrated antimicrobial activity in a size-dependent manner and that cyclic peptide OIR3, which contained three repeating units (IR)3, had greater antimicrobial potency and cell selectivity than liner peptide IR3, DIR3 with D-Pro and gramicidin S (GS). Surface plasmon resonance and endotoxin neutralization assays indicated that OIR3 had significant endotoxin neutralization capabilities, which suggested that the effects of OIR3 were mediated by binding to lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Using fluorescence spectrometry and electron microscopy, we found that OIR3 strongly promoted membrane disruption and thereby induced cell lysis. In addition, an LPS-induced inflammation assay showed that OIR3 inhibited the pro-inflammatory factor TNF-α in RAW264.7 cells. OIR3 was able to reduce oxazolone-induced skin inflammation in allergic dermatitis mouse model via the inhibition of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression. Collectively, the engineered head-to-tail cyclic peptide OIR3 was considerable potential candidate for use as a clinical therapeutic for the treatment of bacterial infections and skin inflammation.
Keywords: bactericidal mechanism; cell selectivity; head-to-tail cyclic antimicrobial peptides; membrane; skin inflammation.