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Naturally occurring and artificially designed antimicrobial peptides: a comparative study of Mastoparan C and BP52

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Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are naturally occurring molecules that play a vital role in the innate immune responses of various organisms. Additionally, artificial AMPs are also designed based on the common structure-activity relationships (SARs) found in natural ones. As part of our ongoing effort to explore the advantages of each source, this study focused on two representative helical AMPs: Mastoparan C (MPC) and BP52. While the former is derived from the venom of the European wasp Vespa crabro, the latter belongs to a group of artificially designed AMPs inspired by the structure of two natural peptides, Cecropin A and Melittin M. Our data suggests that BP52 exhibits similar antimicrobial activity to MPC but demonstrates significantly higher potency against the A427 cancer cells. Taken together with the shorter length and reduced toxicity to human red blood cells, BP52 exhibited greater potential in drug development compared to its counterpart MPC, thus highlighting the potential of rational design in developing short, potent and selective membrane-active peptides.

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Fig. 1
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Abbreviations

AMPs:

Antimicrobial peptides

HPLC:

High-performance liquid chromatography

hRBCs:

Humnan red blood cells

MPC:

Mastoparan C

SARs:

Structure-activity relationships

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Acknowledgements

This research is funded by The PHENIKAA University Foundation for Science and Technology Development, Grant number 2-01.2020.02.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Pharmacy, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, 12116, Vietnam

    Hai Bui Thi Phuong, Yen Do Hai, Viet Nguyen Huu, Anh Luong The & Huy Luong Xuan

  2. Faculty of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, 12116, Vietnam

    Hai Bui Thi Phuong & Minh Nguyen Hong

  3. Bioresource Research Center, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, 12116, Vietnam

    Minh Nguyen Hong

Authors
  1. Hai Bui Thi Phuong
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  2. Yen Do Hai
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  3. Viet Nguyen Huu
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Correspondence to Huy Luong Xuan.

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Bui Thi Phuong, H., Do Hai, Y., Nguyen Huu, V. et al. Naturally occurring and artificially designed antimicrobial peptides: a comparative study of Mastoparan C and BP52. Med Chem Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00044-024-03205-3

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