Bioengineered lysozyme in combination therapies for Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections.

ABSTRACT: There is increasing urgency in the battle against drug-resistant bacterial pathogens, and this public health crisis has created a desperate need for novel antimicrobial agents. Recombinant human lysozyme represents one interesting candidate for treating pulmonary infections, but the wild type enzyme is subject to electrostatic mediated inhibition by anionic biopolymers that accumulate in the infected lung. We have redesigned lysozyme's electrostatic potential field, creating a genetically engineered variant that is less susceptible to polyanion inhibition, yet retains potent bactericidal activity. A recent publication demonstrated that the engineered enzyme outperforms wild type lysozyme in a murine model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection. Here, we expand upon our initial studies an

SUBMITTER: Griswold KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4049907 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature