Efficacy of the designer antimicrobial peptide SHAP1 in wound healing and wound infection

Amino Acids. 2014 Oct;46(10):2333-43. doi: 10.1007/s00726-014-1780-5. Epub 2014 Jun 22.

Abstract

Infected wounds cause delay in wound closure and impose significantly negative effects on patient care and recovery. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with antimicrobial and wound closure activities, along with little opportunity for the development of resistance, represent one of the promising agents for new therapeutic approaches in the infected wound treatment. However, therapeutic applications of these AMPs are limited by their toxicity and low stability in vivo. Previously, we reported that the 19-amino-acid designer peptide SHAP1 possessed salt-resistant antimicrobial activities. Here, we analyzed the wound closure activities of SHAP1 both in vitro and in vivo. SHAP1 did not affect the viability of human erythrocytes and keratinocytes up to 200 μM, and was not digested by exposure to proteases in the wound fluid, such as human neutrophil elastase and Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase for up to 12 h. SHAP1 elicited stronger wound closure activity than human cathelicidin AMP LL-37 in vitro by inducing HaCaT cell migration, which was shown to progress via transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor. In vivo analysis revealed that SHAP1 treatment accelerated closure and healing of full-thickness excisional wounds in mice. Moreover, SHAP1 effectively countered S. aureus infection and enhanced wound healing in S. aureus-infected murine wounds. Overall, these results suggest that SHAP1 might be developed as a novel topical agent for the infected wound treatment.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local / adverse effects
  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local / pharmacology
  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local / therapeutic use*
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / adverse effects
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / pharmacology
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / therapeutic use*
  • Cathelicidins / adverse effects
  • Cathelicidins / pharmacology
  • Cathelicidins / therapeutic use
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Movement / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Drug Stability
  • Erythrocytes / drug effects
  • Female
  • Hemolysis / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Keratinocytes / cytology
  • Keratinocytes / drug effects*
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Protein Stability
  • Staphylococcal Infections / drug therapy*
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology
  • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
  • Staphylococcus aureus / growth & development
  • Wound Healing / drug effects*
  • Wound Infection / drug therapy*
  • Wound Infection / microbiology

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents, Local
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
  • Cathelicidins
  • SHAP1 peptide