Microbes may quickly acquire resistance to the antibiotics used, since antibiotic agents are now extensively applied in treatment of infectious diseases in clinic. Novel antimicrobial agents are therefore urgently needed to overcome the resistance issue. Up to date, great efforts have been made in identifying the new antimicrobial agents from natural resources as alternative approach. Peptide t...

The effect of C-terminal amidation on the antimicrobial and hemolytic activities of antimicrobial peptides was studied using three cationic peptides which form amphiphilic α-helices when bound to membranes. The natural antimicrobial peptide PGLa, the designermade antibiotic MSI-103, and the cell-penetrating “model amphipathic peptide” (MAP) are all amidated in their original forms, and their bi...

Magainin antimicrobial peptide has been shown to increase skin permeability by perturbing stratum corneum lipids in the skin. In this study, we hypothesized that skin permeation enhancement depends on peptide structure. We therefore measured skin permeability enhancement by modified magainin derivitives and 20 different antimicrobial peptides in a formulation containing ethanol and N-lauroyl sa...

As antibiotic resistance increases worldwide, there is an increasing pressure to develop novel classes of antimicrobial compounds to fight infectious disease. Peptide therapeutics represent a novel class of therapeutic agents. Some, such as cationic antimicrobial peptides and peptidoglycan recognition proteins, have been identified from studies of innate immune effector mechanisms, while others...

We present relative binding free energy calculations for six antimicrobial peptide-micelle systems, three peptides interacting with two types of micelles. The peptides are the scorpion derived antimicrobial peptide (AMP), IsCT and two of its analogues. The micelles are dodecylphosphatidylcholine (DPC) and sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) micelles. The interfacial electrostatic properties of DPC and...

Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major is a most common type of vector-borne disease in Iran. The pentavalent antimonial drugs have been used in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis for a long time, but drug resistance and some of serious side effects have been reported. Thus, discovery and development of new therapeutic candidates are needed. The CM11 peptide ...