Effect of the antimicrobial peptide tritrpticin on the in vitro viability and growth of Trichomonas vaginalis.

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides are widely distributed in nature; they play important roles in several aspects of innate immunity and may provide a basis for the design of novel therapeutic agents. In this study, C-amidated tritrpticin, a 13 amino acid tryptophan-rich antimicrobial peptide derived from a porcine cathelicidin, was tested against Trichomonas vaginalis, a protozoan that causes a serious non-viral sexually transmitted disease associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, and high risk of HIV-1 infection. Tritrpticin was selected due to its reasonably easy synthesis and because analogs with lower toxicity may be designed. Our results show that tritrpticin-NH(2) at either 100 or 200 μg/ml (52.5 or 105 μM) clearly reduces the viability and growth of Trichomonas vaginalis. Together with tritrpticin-NH(2), sodium bicarbonate further limited trichomonad growth. Additionally, a low concentration of metronidazole (5.8 μM), the most commonly used medication for Trichomonas vaginalis, was more effective against the growth of the parasite when it was combined with tritrpticin-NH(2).

• Authors: Veronica V Infante, Alma D Miranda-Olvera, Luis M De Leon-Rodriguez, Fernando Anaya-Velazquez, Mayra C Rodriguez, Eva E Avila
• Journal: Current microbiology (Curr Microbiol) Vol. 62 Issue 1 Pg. 301-6 (Jan 2011) ISSN: 1432-0991 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20640424 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
• Antiprotozoal Agents
• Oligopeptides
• tritrpticin
• Metronidazole
• Sodium Bicarbonate

Topics

• Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides (pharmacology)
• Antiprotozoal Agents (pharmacology)
• Drug Synergism
• Female
• Humans
• Metronidazole (pharmacology)
• Microbial Viability (drug effects)
• Oligopeptides (pharmacology)
• Parasitic Sensitivity Tests
• Sodium Bicarbonate (pharmacology)
• Trichomonas vaginalis (drug effects, growth & development, physiology)