Design and Synthesis of Melanocortin Peptides with Candidacidal and Anti-TNF-α Properties
作者:Paolo Grieco、Claudia Rossi、Stefano Gatti、Gualtiero Colombo、Andrea Carlin、Ettore Novellino、Teresa Lama、James M. Lipton、Anna Catania
DOI:10.1021/jm040890j
日期:2005.3.1
alpha-Melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) is an endogenous antiinflammatory peptide with antimicrobial properties. We recently found that a synthetic analogue, [DNal(2')-7, Phe-12]-alpha-MSH (6-13), was considerably more potent in killing Candida albicans, but the anti-cytokine potential of the molecule was not investigated. Because molecules that combine candidacidal and antiinflammatory properties could be very useful in clinical practice, we measured the anti-TNF-alpha potential of [DNal(2')-7, Phe-12]-alpha-MSH (6-13) and explored effects of amino acid deletions and substitutions on both anti-Candida and anti-TNF-a activities. The results show that anti-TNF-a properties of this candidacidal peptide are only marginally increased relative to the native sequence. Conversely, we found that a closely related candidacidal analogue, [DNal(2')-7, Pro-12]-alpha-MSH (6-13), had enhanced anti-TNF-a effects in vitro and in vivo. This peptide, and other melanocortins with a similar dual effect, could be very useful to eradicate infections and, concurrently, reduce inflammatory reactions.