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30 min) via the kidneys, several 99mTc-antimicrobial peptides have been selected that distinguish infectious foci from sites of sterile inflammation. Accumulation of 99mTc-antimicrobial peptides at sites of experimental infection correlated well with the number of viable bacteria/yeasts present. This finding allowed us to monitor with 99mTc-antimicrobial peptides the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy in animals with experimental infections. In conclusion, non-microbicidal amounts of 99mTc-antimicrobial peptides are promising candidates for the scintigraphic imaging of bacterial/fungal infections and for monitoring the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy in patients.
doi:10.1016/j.peptides.2006.05.022 
Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Synthetic peptides derived from human antimicrobial peptide ubiquicidin accumulate at sites of infections and eradicate (multi-drug resistant) Staphylococcus aureus in mice
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Carlo P.J.M. Brouwera, Sylvia J.P. Bogaardsa, Marty Wulferinka, Markwin P. Veldersa and Mick M. Wellingb, 
, 
Received 28 March 2006;
Abstract
The presence and antimicrobial activity of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) has been widely recognized as an evolutionary preserved part of the innate immune system. Based on evidence in animal models and humans, AMPs are now positioned as novel anti-infective agents. The current study aimed to evaluate the potential antimicrobial activity of ubiquicidin and small synthetic fragments thereof towards methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), as a high priority target for novel antibiotics. In vitro killing of MRSA by synthetic peptides derived from the α-helix or β-sheet domains of the human cationic peptide ubiquicidin (UBI 1–59), allowed selection of AMPs for possible treatment of MRSA infections. The strongest antibacterial activity was observed for the entire peptide UBI 1–59 and for synthetic fragments comprising amino acids 31–38. The availability, chemical synthesis opportunities, and size of these small peptides, combined with their strong antimicrobial activity towards MRSA make these compounds promising candidates for antimicrobial therapy and detection of infections in man.
Keywords: Antimicrobial peptide; Synthetic fragments; MRSA; In vitro killing; Experimental infections; Microbicidal activity; Technetium; Detection of infections
Article Outline
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Materials and methods
- 2.1. Peptides
- 2.2. Micro-organisms
- 2.3. In vitro killing assay
- 2.4. Animals
- 2.5. MRSA infections in mice
- 2.6. Targeting MRSA-infections in mice with technetium-99 m labeled UBI peptides
- 2.7. Statistical analysis
- 3. Results
- 3.1. Peptides
- 3.2. Antimicrobial efficacy in vitro
- 3.3. Antimicrobial efficacy in vivo
- 3.4. Targeting MRSA-infections in mice with technetium-99 m labeled UBI peptides
- 3.5. Correlations between UBI peptide characteristics and biological assays
- 4. Discussion
- References
