Development of a novel anti-biofilm peptide derived from profilin of <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i>
Amanda Carolina Borges da Silva, Janaína de Cássia Orlandi Sardi, Daniella Gorete Lourenço de Oliveira, Caio Fernando Ramalho de Oliveira, Helder Freitas dos Santos, Edson Lucas dos Santos, Edson Crusca, Marlon H. Cardoso, Octávio Luiz Franco, Maria Lı́gia Rodrigues Macedo
Abstract
Candida yeast infections are the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. Peptides with antimicrobial activity are a promising alternative treatment for such infections. Here, the antifungal activity of a new antimicrobial peptide—PEP-IA18—was evaluated against Candida species. PEP-IA18 was designed from the primary sequence of profilin, a protein from Spodoptera frugiperda, and displayed potent activity against Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis, showing a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.5 µM. Furthermore, the mechanism of action of PEP-IA18 involved interaction with the cell membrane (ergosterol complexation). Treatment at MIC and/or 10 × MIC significantly reduced biofilm formation and viability. PEP-IA18 showed low toxicity toward human fibroblasts and only revealed hemolytic activity at high concentrations. Thus, PEP-IA18 exhibited antifungal and anti-biofilm properties with potential applicability in the treatment of infections caused by Candida species.