Design of High-Selectivity Co-Assembled Peptide Nanofibers against Bacterial Infection in Piglets

Antibioticresistance is an escalating global health concern thatcould result in tens of millions of deaths annually from drug-resistantbacterial infections in the future, especially in animal husbandry.Peptide antibacterial nanomaterials offer a competitive alternativeto antibiotics because of their distinct mechanism of physically penetratingpathogenic biological membranes. This study developed amphiphilicco-assembled peptide nanofibers with high biological selectivity (PCBP-NCAPNFs) to overcome the high cytotoxicity of peptide PCBP and the lowantibacterial activity of peptide NCAP. PCBP-NCAP NFs exhibit broad-spectrumantibacterial activity and excellent biocompatibility, with negligible in vivo and in vitro toxicity. Additionally,PCBP-NCAP NFs possess direct antibacterial efficacy and potentialimmunomodulatory capabilities using a piglet systemic infection model.Its unique mechanism of membrane penetration and the ability to bindto anionic components on the surface of pathogenic bacteria make themless susceptible to drug resistance. In conclusion, these findingshave significant implications for the advancement of supramolecularpeptide nanomedicines for clinical application and animal husbandry.

Automated summary

This study developed amphiphilic co-assembled peptide nanofibers with high biological selectivity (PCBP-NCAP NFs) to overcome the high cytotoxicity of peptide PCBP and the low antibacterial activity of peptide NCAP. PCBP-NCAP NFs exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and excellent biocompatibility, with negligible in vivo and in vitro toxicity. Its unique mechanism of membrane penetration and the ability to bind to anionic components on the surface of pathogenic bacteria make them less susceptible to drug resistance.