Design and synthesis of oligo-lipidated arginyl peptide (OLAP) dimers with enhanced physicochemical activity, peptide stability and their antimicrobial actions against MRSA infections

Multi-drug resistant pathogens have been of increasing concern today. There is an urgent need for the discovery of more potent antibiotics. Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are known to be effective antimicrobial agents against resistant pathogens. However, poor activity under physiological conditions is one of the major limitations of CAMPS in clinical applications. In this study, a series of oligo-lipidated arginyl peptide OLAP dimers comprised of a saturated fatty acid chain (with m number of carbon units) and p repeating units of arginyl fatty acid chains (with n number of carbon units) were designed and studied for their antimicrobial activities as well as their physico-chemical property in various physiological conditions, such as in human serum albumin and high salt conditions. Our results showed that OLAP-11 exhibits potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria with improved physico-chemical activity in various physiological conditions. OLAP-11 is also less susceptible to human serum and trypsin degradation. The HPLC–MS analysis showed that the lipid-arginine bond is very stable. SYTOX Green assay and scanning electron microscopy both show that the OLAP-11 killed bacteria via inner membrane disruption. In addition, OLAP-11 is inner membrane targeting, making it difficult for bacteria to develop resistance. Overall, the design of the OLAP dimers provides an alternative approach to improve the physicochemical activity, peptide stability of CAMPs with potent inner membrane disruption and low in vitro toxicity to increase their potential for clinical applications in the future.