The antibacterial properties of branched peptides based on poly(l-arginine): In vitro antibacterial evaluation and molecular dynamic simulations

In this study, the antibacterial properties of newly synthesized branched poly(l-arginine) peptides, belonging to the family of multiple antigenic peptides, are evaluated. First, in vitro activities of the peptides shows that branched poly(l-arginine) is more efficient than linear poly(l-arginine) containing the same number of arginine residues. Surprisingly, peptides with more arms and more residues are not the most effective. To better understand these unexpected results, interactions between these peptides and the membranes of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria are simulated thanks to molecular dynamic. It is observed that the bacterial membrane is more distorted by the branched structure than by the linear one and by peptides containing smaller arms. This mechanism of action is in full agreement with in vitro results and suggest that our simulations form a robust model to evaluate peptide efficiency towards pathogenic bacteria.PMID:38387338 | DOI:10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116224

Source: European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry - February 22, 2024 Category: Chemistry Authors: Lebaudy Elo ïse Lauriane Petit Yves Nomin é B éatrice Heurtault In ès Ben Hadj Kaddour Bernard Senger Jennifer Rodon Fores Nihal Engin Vrana Florent Barbault Philippe Lavalle Source Type: research