The pH-Insensitive Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of the Frog Skin Derived Peptide Esc(1-21): Promising Features for Novel Anti-Infective Drugs
Maria Rosa Loffredo,
Floriana Cappiello,
Giacomo Cappella,
Elisabetta Capuozzo,
Luisa Torrini,
Fabiana Diaco,
Yuanpu Peter Di,
Maria Luisa Mangoni,
Bruno Casciaro
Affiliations
Maria Rosa Loffredo
Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Floriana Cappiello
Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giacomo Cappella
Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Elisabetta Capuozzo
Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Luisa Torrini
Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Fabiana Diaco
Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Yuanpu Peter Di
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
Maria Luisa Mangoni
Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Bruno Casciaro
Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
The number of antibiotic-resistant microbial infections is dramatically increasing, while the discovery of new antibiotics is significantly declining. Furthermore, the activity of antibiotics is negatively influenced by the ability of bacteria to form sessile communities, called biofilms, and by the microenvironment of the infection, characterized by an acidic pH, especially in the lungs of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF). Antimicrobial peptides represent interesting alternatives to conventional antibiotics, and with expanding properties. Here, we explored the effects of an acidic pH on the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of the AMP Esc(1-21) and we found that it slightly lost activity (from 2- to 4-fold) against the planktonic form of a panel of Gram-negative bacteria, with respect to a ≥ 32-fold of traditional antibiotics. Furthermore, it retained its activity against the sessile form of these bacteria grown in media with a neutral pH, and showed similar or higher effectiveness against the biofilm form of bacteria grown in acidic media, simulating a CF-like acidic microenvironment, compared to physiological conditions.
