Antibacterial Activities of Short Designer Peptides: a Link between Propensity for Nanostructuring and Capacity for Membrane Destabilization
摘要:
Amphiphilic peptides A(3)K, A(6)K and A(9)K displayed an increasing propensity for nanoaggregation with increasing the size of hydrophobic alanine moiety, and the size and shape of the aggregates showed a steady transition from loose peptide stacks formed by A(3)K long nanofibers by A(6)K, to short and narrow nanorods by A(9)K This size and shape transition was broadly consistent with the trend predicted from interfacial packing and curvature change if these peptide surfactants were treated as conventional surfactants The antibacterial capacity, defined by the killing of percentage of bacteria in a given time and peptide concentration, showed a strong correlation to peptide hydrophobicity, evident from both microscopic and fluorescence imaging studies For A(9)K, the power for membrane permeation and bacterial clustering intensified with peptide concentration and incubation time These results thus depict it positive correlation between the propensity for self-assembly of the peptides, their membrane penetration power, and bactericidal capacity Although the exposure of A(9)K to a preformed DPPC membrane bilayer showed little structural disturbance. the same treatment to the preformed DPPG membrane bilayer led to substantial disruption of model membrane structure, a trend entirely consistent with the high selectivity observed from membrane hemolytic studies.
The methods described herein provide self-assembling macromolecular networks within the human skin. The methods provide instant and accumulation-based physical properties within the skin, causing cosmetic benefits including, bulking/plumping, filling, strengthening, smoothing, firming, and lifting, as well as enhancing the optical properties, radiance and other cosmetic appearance characteristics of the skin. The disclosure also provides a method of re-structuring the skin without cellular biogenesis by effecting macrostructures within the skin. The method comprising effectuating self-assembly within the skin layers by topically applying a composition comprising at least one self-assembly material to form functional macrostructures within the skin and effectuating self-assembly of the at least one self-assembly material in vivo while substantially preventing self-assembly prior to the topical application or treatment.