Effective inhibition of < i > Clostridioides difficile < /i > by the novel peptide CM-A

by Sirirak Arthithanyaroj, Surang Chankhamhaengdecha, Urai Chaisri, Ratchaneewan Aunpad, Amornrat AroonnualClostridioides difficile infection is the most common cause of nosocomial and antibiotic-associated diarrhea.C.difficile treatment is increasingly likely to fail, and the recurrence rate is high. Antimicrobial peptides are considered an alternative treatment for many infectious diseases, including those caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. In the present study, we identified a CM peptide, a hybrid of cecropin A and melittin, and its derivative which possesses potent antimicrobial activity againstC.difficile strain 630. CM peptide exhibited antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration of 3.906 μg/ml (2.21 μM). A modified derivative of CM, CM-A, exhibited even greater activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1.953 μg/ml (1.06 μM) and a minimum bactericidal concentration of 7.8125 μg/ml (4.24 μM), which indicates that CM-A peptide is more efficient than its parent peptide. A fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis revealed that the membrane ofC.difficile 630 could be an important target for CM-A. This peptide induced high levels of cell depolarization and cell permeability onC.difficile cell membrane. Moreover, electron microscopy imaging showed that CM-A interferes with theC.difficile cell membrane. Hence, the antimicrobial peptide CM-A may represent a promising novel approach for the treatment ofC.difficile infections.
Source: PLoS One - Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Source Type: research