
ABSTRACTAntimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are ancient and conserved across the tree of life. Their efficacy over evolutionary time has been largely attributed to their mechanisms of killing. Yet, the understanding of their pharmacodynamics bothin vivoandin vitrois very limited. This is, however, crucial for applications of AMPs as drugs and also informs the understanding of the action of AMPs in natural immune systems. Here, we selected six different AMPs from different organisms to test their individual and combined effectsin vitro. We analyzed their pharmacodynamics based on the Hill function and evaluated the interaction of combinations of two and three AMPs. Interactions of AMPs in our study were mostly synergistic, and three-AMP combinations displayed stronger synergism than two-AMP combinations. This suggests synergism to be a common phenomenon in AMP interaction. Additionally, AMPs displayed a sharp increase in killing within a narrow dose range, contrasting with those of antibiotics. We suggest that our results could lead a way toward better evaluation of AMP application in practice and shed some light on the evolutionary consequences of antimicrobial peptide interactions within the immune system of organisms.
Pharmacology, Escherichia coli, Humans, Computer Simulation, Drug Synergism, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
Pharmacology, Escherichia coli, Humans, Computer Simulation, Drug Synergism, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
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