A recent study by Jens Rolff and colleagues from the Freie Universitat Berlin suggests that using a combination of antimicrobial peptides is more effective in preventing antibiotic resistance in common infection-causing bacteria compared to using a single peptide. This finding could pave the way for developing new antibiotic treatments. The study was published on July 2 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a significant threat to public health, with millions of deaths attributed to drug-resistant strains each year. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics have accelerated this issue, leading to many antibiotics becoming ineffective. One promising approach to address antibiotic resistance is the use of antimicrobial peptides, which are natural compounds that exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties and are vital components of the innate immune system in various organisms.
The study explored the effectiveness of lab-synthesized antimicrobial peptide mixtures in reducing the likelihood of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa developing resistance compared to exposure to a single antimicrobial peptide. The researchers observed that using peptide mixtures significantly lowered the risk of bacterial resistance development. These mixtures also helped prevent cross-resistance to other antimicrobial drugs and, in some cases, improved drug sensitivity.
The results suggest that utilizing antimicrobial peptide cocktails could be a promising strategy for developing more sustainable bacterial treatments. The complexity of multiple peptides in the mixture can create greater challenges for bacteria to overcome, potentially delaying the evolution of resistance compared to conventional antibiotics. Additionally, these peptide cocktails can be produced cost-effectively and have shown low toxicity in animal studies.
Lead author Bernardo Antunes emphasizes the effectiveness of the peptide mixture, stating, “Even after a typical four-week treatment period for Pseudomonas infections, our new peptide showed no signs of resistance development, unlike other antimicrobials.”
