Evaluating the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of three synthetic antimicrobial Citropin analogs and their ability to fight against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: We developed three new analogs of the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) Citropin 1.1 DAN-1-13, AJP-1-1, and HHX-2-28, and tested their potential antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against Staphylococcus aureus and S. pseudintermedius. Potential cytotoxic or hemolytic effects were determined using cultured human keratinocytes and erythrocytes to determine their safety. METHODS AND RESULTS: To assess the antimicrobial activity of each compound, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were determined against methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible strains of S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius. Activity against newly formed and mature biofilms was determined in two clinical isolates using spectrophotometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All three compounds exhibited antimicrobial and bactericidal activity against all studied S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius strains, with MICs ranging from 4-32 µg ml-1 and MBCs ranging from 8-128 µg ml-1. Subinhibitory concentrations of all compounds also showed ant-biofilm activity in the two tested isolates. All compounds exhibited limited cytotoxic and hemolytic activity. CONCLUSIONS: Novel analogs of Citropin 1.1 exhibit antimicrobial and bactericidal activities against S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius isolates and inhibit the biofilm formation of these bacteria.