QSAR Reveals Decreased Lipophilicity of Polar Residues Determines the Selectivity of Antimicrobial Peptide Activity.

ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial resistance has increased rapidly, causing daunting morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional antibiotics due to their broad range of targets and low tendency to elicit resistance. However, potent antimicrobial activity is often accompanied by excessive cytotoxicity toward host cells, leading to a halt in AMP therapeutic development. Here, we present multivariate analyses that correlate 28 peptide properties to the activity and toxicity of 46 diverse African-derived AMPs and identify the negative lipophilicity of polar residues as an essential physiochemical property for selective antimicrobial activity. Twenty-seven active AMPs are identified, of which the majority are of scorpion or frog origi

SUBMITTER: van der Walt M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11191095 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature