Antibiotic-free Self-assembled Polypeptide Nanomicelles for Bacterial Keratitis
Boyuan Cheng, Haohao Cui, Nan Zhang, Huayang Feng, Dandan Chu, Bingbing Cui, Zhanrong Li, Junjie Zhang, Shaokui Cao, Jingguo Li
Abstract
Drug resistance of bacteria limits the effectiveness of traditional antibiotics for bacterial keratitis. Antimicrobial peptides with a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and bactericidal mechanism of membrane disruption provide an alternative for the treatment of bacterial keratitis. In the present study, an antimicrobial peptide polymer was developed and self-assembled into polypeptide nanomicelles (PPNMs) for treatment of bacterial keratitis. The self-assembly process led to spherical shapes with a diameter of around 45 nm and a relatively narrow size distribution. The nanomicelles also exhibited a positive charge and excellent biocompatibility. Antimicrobial tests have shown that PPNMs possessed a mechanism of action to destroy bacterial membranes and were superior to tobramycin in the treatment of bacterial keratitis. Therefore, we expect PPNMs to have good potential as an antimicrobial drug.