Abstract
The high mortality associated with invasive fungal infections, narrow spectrum of available antifungals, and increasing evolution of antifungal resistance necessitate the development of alternative therapies. Host defense peptides are regarded as the first line of defense against microbial invasion in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In this work, we investigated the effectiveness of four naturally occurring pore-forming antimicrobial peptides (melittin, magainin 2, cecropin A, and mastoparan B) against a panel of clinically relevant pathogens, including Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis, and Candida glabrata. We present data on the antifungal activities of the four pore-forming peptides, assessed with descriptive statistics, and their cytocompatibility with cultured human cells. Among the four peptides, mastoparan B (MB) displayed potent antifungal activity, whereas cecropin A was the least potent. We show that MB susceptibility of phylogenetically distant non-candida albicans can vary and be described by different intrinsic physicochemical parameters of pore-forming α-helical peptides. These findings have potential therapeutic implications for the design and development of safe antifungal peptide-based drugs.
Highlights
Introduction iationsInvasive candidiasis (IC) is an infection caused by various Candida species, which results from candidemia and deep-seated tissue candidiasis
We aimed to investigate the physicochemical properties of mastoparan B (MB), magainin 2 (MG), ML, and cecropin A (CA), and their contribution to the antifungal activity against a panel of drug-resistant NAC strains
The results suggest that MB is the most hydrophobic and MG is the least cationic among the four peptides (Table 1)
Summary
Invasive candidiasis (IC) is an infection caused by various Candida species, which results from candidemia and deep-seated tissue candidiasis. IC is observed among healthcareassociated infections in developed countries and is associated with high mortality rates (~40%) despite the institution of antifungal therapy [1]. >250,000 people globally and is responsible for >50,000 deaths [2]. Candidemia, defined by the presence of Candida in the bloodstream, may cause infection of distant organs such as the liver or spleen, which may lead to inflammation and subsequent organ failure [2]. The incident rates of candidemia are higher among ageing populations and often comorbid with malignancy. Candida albicans is the major etiological agent in candidemia in the past. The global shift in favor of non-albicans such as C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis in Asia, Southern
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