Suppressing sepsis
Another key advantage of these peptides is that while they recruit immune cells to combat the infection, they also suppress the overactive inflammatory response that can cause sepsis, a life threatening condition.
"In this single molecule, you have a synthetic peptide that can kill microbes -- both susceptible and drug-resistant -- and at the same time can act as an anti-inflammatory mediator and enhance protective immunity," de la Fuente says.
The researchers also found that these peptides can destroy certain biofilms, which are thin layers of bacterial cells that form on surfaces. That raises the possibility of using them to treat infections caused by biofilms, such as the Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections that often affect the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Or, they could be embedded into surfaces such as tabletops to make them resistant to microbial growth.
Other possible applications for these peptides include antimicrobial coatings for catheters, or ointments that could be used to treat skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus or other bacteria.
If these peptides are developed for therapeutic use, the researchers anticipate that they could be used either in stand-alone therapy or together with traditional antibiotics, which would make it more difficult for bacteria to evolve drug resistance. The researchers are now investigating what makes the engineered peptides more effective than the naturally occurring ones, with hopes of making them even better.