Effect of magainins on Acanthamoeba castellanii

Magainins are a family of peptides that have been isolated from the skin of the South African toad, Xenopus laevis . At low concentrations magainins inhibit the growth of many bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Magainins consist of 23 amino acids and differ slightly in their amino acid sequences. We eva...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Feldman, ST, Speaker, M, Cleveland, P
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Acanthamoeba castellanii
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Summary:Magainins are a family of peptides that have been isolated from the skin of the South African toad, Xenopus laevis . At low concentrations magainins inhibit the growth of many bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Magainins consist of 23 amino acids and differ slightly in their amino acid sequences. We evaluated the effect of magainin I and magainin II on both the cystic and trophozoite forms of Acanthamoeba castellanii . Magainins I and II inhibited the growth of A. castellanii trophozoites in vitro. By 24 hours, fragments of trophozoites were noted. At 48 hours, magainin I (100 mu g/mL) inhibited 80%. Magainins I and II were effective in completely blocking growth for 1 week at concentrations of greater than or approximate to 250 mu g/mL. Neither drug was cysticidal at 500 mu g/mL.
ISSN:0162-0886