Biophysical study of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac with phosphatidylserine bilayer membranes.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) represent an effective pain treatment option and therefore one of the most sold therapeutic agents worldwide. The study of the molecular interactions responsible for their physiological activity, but also for their side effects, is therefore important. This report presents data on the interaction of the most consumed NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac) with one main phospholipid in eukaryotic cells, dimyristoylphosphatidylserine (DMPS). The applied techniques are Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), with which in transmission the gel to liquid crystalline phase transition of the acyl chains in the absence and presence of the NSAID are monitored, supplemented by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data on the phase transition. FTIR in reflection (ATR, attenuated total reflectance) is applied to record the dependence of the interactions of the NSAID with particular functional groups observed in the DMPS spectrum such as the ester carbonyl and phosphate vibrational bands. With Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) a possible intercalation of the NSAID into the DMPS liposomes and with isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) the thermodynamics of the interaction are monitored. The data show that the NSAID react in a particular way with this lipid, but in some parameters the three NSAID clearly differ, with which now a clear picture of the interaction processes is possible.

Therapeutical Administration of Peptide Pep19-2.5 and Ibuprofen Reduces Inflammation and Prevents Lethal Sepsis.

Sepsis is still a major cause of death and many efforts have been made to improve the physical condition of sepsis patients and to reduce the high mortality rate associated with this disease. While achievements were implemented in the intensive care treatment, all attempts within the field of novel therapeutics have failed. As a consequence new medications and improved patient stratification as well as a thoughtful management of the support therapies are urgently needed. In this study, we investigated the simultaneous administration of ibuprofen as a commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and Pep19-2.5 (Aspidasept), a newly developed antimicrobial peptide. Here, we show a synergistic therapeutic effect of combined Pep19-2.5-ibuprofen treatment in an endotoxemia mouse model of sepsis. In vivo protection correlates with a reduction in plasma levels of both tumor necrosis factor α and prostaglandin E, as a likely consequence of Pep19-2.5 and ibuprofen-dependent blockade of TLR4 and COX pro-inflammatory cascades, respectively. This finding is further characterised and confirmed in a transcriptome analysis of LPS-stimulated human monocytes. The transcriptome analyses showed that Pep19-2.5 and ibuprofen exerted a synergistic global effect both on the number of regulated genes as well as on associated gene ontology and pathway expression. Overall, ibuprofen potentiated the anti-inflammatory activity of Pep19-2.5 both in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that NSAIDs could be useful to supplement future anti-sepsis therapies.

Intestinal mucus affinity and biological activity of an orally administered antibacterial and anti-inflammatory peptide.

OBJECTIVE: Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) provide protection from infection by pathogenic microorganisms and restrict bacterial growth at epithelial surfaces to maintain mucosal homeostasis. In addition, they exert a significant anti-inflammatory activity. Here we analysed the anatomical distribution and biological activity of an orally administered AMP in the context of bacterial infection and host-microbial homeostasis. DESIGN: The anatomical distribution as well as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activity of the endogenous AMP cryptdin 2 and the synthetic peptide Pep19-2.5 at the enteric mucosal surface were analysed by immunostaining, functional viability and stimulation assays, an oral Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica sv. Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) model and comparative microbiota analysis. RESULTS: Endogenous cryptdin 2 was found attached to bacteria of the enteric microbiota within the intestinal mucus layer. Similarly, the synthetic peptide Pep19-2.5 attached rapidly to bacterial cells, exhibited a marked affinity for the intestinal mucus layer in vivo, altered the structural organisation of endotoxin in a mucus matrix and demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity. Oral Pep19-2.5 administration induced significant changes in the composition of the enteric microbiota as determined by high-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing. This may have contributed to the only transient improvement of the clinical symptoms after oral infection with S. Typhimurium. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate the anti-inflammatory activity and mucus affinity of the synthetic AMP Pep19-2.5 and characterise the influence on microbiota composition and enteropathogen infection after oral administration.