Activity of LL-37, CRAMP and antimicrobial peptide-derived compounds E2, E6 and CP26 against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

• Published in: International journal of antimicrobial agents 2013-02, Vol.41 (2), p.143-148
• Main Authors: Rivas-Santiago, Bruno, Rivas Santiago, Cesar E, Castañeda-Delgado, Julio E, León–Contreras, Juan C, Hancock, Robert E.W, Hernandez-Pando, Rogelio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; anti-infective agents; anti-infective properties; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - administration & dosage; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - pharmacology; Antimicrobial peptides; Antitubercular Agents - administration & dosage; Antitubercular Agents - pharmacology; Bacterial Load; disease control; Disease Models, Animal; humans; Infectious Disease; Lung - microbiology; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; minimum inhibitory concentration; multiple drug resistance; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - drug effects; synthetic peptides; therapeutics; Treatment; Treatment Outcome; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - drug therapy; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - microbiology; virulence
• ISSN: 0924-8579; 1872-7913
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2012.09.015

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major worldwide health problem in part due to the lack of development of new treatments and the emergence of new strains such as multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant strains that are threatening and impairing the control of this disease. In this study, the efficacy of natural and synthetic cationic antimicrobial (host defence) peptides that have been shown often to possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity was tested. The natural antimicrobial peptides human LL-37 and mouse CRAMP as well as synthetic peptides E2, E6 and CP26 were tested for their activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis both in in vitro and in vivo models. The peptides had moderate antimicrobial activities, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 2μg/mL to 10μg/mL. In a virulent model of M. tuberculosis lung infection, intratracheal therapeutic application of these peptides three times a week at doses of ca. 1mg/kg led to significant 3–10-fold reductions in lung bacilli after 28–30 days of treatment. The treatments worked both against the drug-sensitive H37Rv strain and a MDR strain. These results indicate that antimicrobial peptides might constitute a novel therapy against TB.