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Publications

Journal Article Epublish

PubMed: 40149858 DOI: 10.3390/biom15030322

Antimicrobial Activity of the Peptide C14R Against Ab Initio Growing and Preformed Biofilms of , and .

Biomolecules 15(3)

Authors: Jan-Christoph Walter, Ann-Kathrin Kissmann, Daniel Gruber, Daniel Alpízar-Pedraza, Ernesto M Martell-Huguet, Nico Preising, Armando Rodriguez-Alfonso, Ludger Ständker, Christoph Kleber, Wolfgang Knoll, Steffen Stenger, Carolina Firacative, Frank Rosenau

Affiliations

  • Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
  • Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (CIDEM), 26th Avenue, No. 1605, Nuevo Vedado, La Habana 10400, Cuba.
  • Core Facility for Functional Peptidomics (CFP), Faculty of Medicine, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
  • Core Unit of Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Faculty of Medicine, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
  • Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Danube Private University, Steiner Landstraße 124, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria.
  • Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany.
  • Studies in Translational Microbiology and Emerging Diseases (MICROS) Research Group, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad de Rosario, Bogota 111221, Colombia.

Abstract

Biofilms are the predominant lifeforms of microorganisms, contributing to over 80% of infections, including those caused by species like , and . These species form biofilms on medical devices, making infections challenging to treat, especially with the rise in drug-resistant strains. infections, particularly hospital-acquired ones, are a significant health threat due to their resistance to antifungals and the risk of developing systemic infections (i.e., sepsis). We have previously shown that C14R reduces the viability of and , but not of . Here, we show that C14R not only inhibits viability by pore formation, shown in a resazurin reduction assay, and in a and fluorescence-based permeabilization assay, but it also halts biofilm maturation and significantly reduces the biomass of preformed biofilms by over 70%. These findings suggest C14R could be an effective option for treating severe fungal infections, offering a potential new treatment approach for biofilm-related diseases. Further research is needed to fully understand its biofilm dispersal potential and to optimize its use for future applications as an antifungal in clinical settings.

MeSH

Biofilms, Communicable Diseases, Infections

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