The innate immune system utilizes many approaches for defense against invading microorganisms, including complement-mediated lysis, engulfment, formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, and release of antimicrobial peptides. Although classically thought to be driven by adaptive immunity, the development of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus is increasingly associated with dysregulated innate immune pathways. An emerging theme within this literature is the contribution of antimicrobial peptides to the development of autoimmune disorders. This is best exemplified in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis where the defensins and the single human cathelicidin, LL-37, may contribute to disease. Furthermore, in the past few years, a role for LL-37 has emerged in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, and possibly other diseases. In this review, we discuss the role of LL-37 and its murine ortholog, mCRAMP, in the modulation of immune and inflammatory pathways and their effects on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Leucrocin I is an antibacterial peptide isolated from crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) white blood cell extracts. Based on Leucrocin I sequence, cationic peptide, NY15, was designed, synthesized and evaluated for antibacterial activity against Bacillus sphaericus TISTR 678, Bacillus megaterium (clinical isolate), Vibrio cholerae (clinical isolate), Salmonella typhi (clinical isolate), Salmonella typhi ATCC 5784 and Escherichia coli 0157:H7. The efficacy of the peptide made from all L-amino acids was also compared with all D-amino acids. The peptide made from all D-amino acids was more active than the corresponding L-enantiomer. In our detailed study, the interaction between peptides and the cell membrane of Vibrio cholerae as part of their killing mechanism was studied by fluorescence and electron microscopy. The results show that the membrane was the target of action of the peptides. Finally, the cytotoxicity assays revealed that both L-NY15 and D-NY15 peptides are non-toxic to mammalian cells at bacteriolytic concentrations.

In the selection or design of antimicrobial peptides, the key role played by cationic amino acids and chain length on the inhibitory potency and specificity is not clear. A fundamental study was conducted using chemically synthesized homopeptides of l-Lys and l-Arg ranging from 7 to 14 residues. Their effect on growth inhibition was evaluated over a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria at different levels of concentration. Interestingly, at lower concentrations (10 µM), Lys homopeptides with odd number of residues, especially with 11 residues, showed a broader inhibitory activity than those with even number of residues. At higher peptide concentrations (>20 µM), the inhibitory activity of Lys homopeptides was directly related to the number of residues in the chain. In contrast, Arg homopeptides, at lower concentrations, did not exhibit a defined pattern of bacterial inhibition related to the number of residues; however, at higher concentrations (>20 µM), the inhibitory effects were more pronounced. Lys homopeptides at concentrations up to 300 µM showed a remarkably lower toxicity against CHSE-214 cells. Arg homopeptides exhibited negligible cytotoxicity up to chain length of 11 residues at Antibacterial peptides often are exceptions because their activity does not involve receptor concentrations lower than 100 µM, but an abrupt increase in toxicity resulted when the peptide chain length reached 12 amino acid residues and higher concentrations. All synthesized homopeptides displayed characteristic polyproline II helix conformation in both buffer and liposomes, as shown by CD spectroscopy. This result suggests that short Lys homopeptides with an odd number of residues (9 and 11) have a broad spectrum of activity against Gram-positive bacterial cells compared with Arg homopeptides, which in turn showed a considerably higher selectivity toward those cells. By investigating the differences between Lys and Arg homopeptides, this study contributes to the understanding of their mechanism of growth inhibition and selectivity. Thus, it provides further guidelines for a rational design of short antimicrobial peptides. Copyright © 2013 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is a worldwide water contaminant that is currently without cost-effective and efficient remediation strategies. This is in part due to a lack of ligands that can bind it amid an excess of innocuous ions in aqueous solution. We present herein the design and application of a peptoid-based library of ligand candidates for toxic metal ions. A selective screening process was used to identify members of the library that can bind to Cr(VI) species at neutral pH and in the presence of a large excess of spectator ions. There were 11 sequences identified, and their affinities were compared using titrations monitored with UV–vis spectroscopy. To identify the interactions involved in coordination and specificity, we evaluated the effects of sequence substitutions and backbone variation in the highest affinity structure. Additional characterization of the complex formed between this sequence and Cr(VI) was performed using NMR spectroscopy. To evaluate the ability of the developed sequences to remediate contaminated solutions, the structures were synthesized on a solid-phase resin and incubated with environmental chromium contamination. The synthetic structures demonstrated the ability to reduce the amount of toxic chromium to levels within the range of the EPA contamination guidelines. In addition to providing some of the first selective ligands for Cr(VI), these studies highlight the promise of peptoid sequences as easily prepared components of environmental remediation materials.

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