Abstract:

Antimicrobial resistance is considered a major health problem, worldwide. It is significantly associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The current antibiotics have limited therapeutic efficacy in providing treatment for multidrug resistant bacteria. Accordingly, research in the antimicrobial field has been directed toward the discovery of new agents to overcome bacterial resistance. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) have been extensively studied as potential antimicrobial agents with lower incidence of drug resistance compared to conventional antibiotics. WLBU2 is an engineered cationic AMP with promising antibacterial activity. It is composed of 24 amino acids including; 13 arginine, 8 valine and 3 tryptophan residues. Findings from in vitro and in vivo studies showed that WLBU2 is a potent peptide with a broad spectrum activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative, multidrug resistant, and biofilm forming bacteria. Additionally, WLBU2 appears as a salt-resistant peptide with potential application for treatment of infections at conditions with disturbed normal salt homeostasis. Furthermore, WLBU2 was found as AMP with limited host toxicity. Recent investigations have shown that combination of WLBU2 with conventional antibiotics can result in synergism against resistant bacteria. In this review we highlight the evidence supporting the promising properties of WLBU2 as an antibacterial agent with potential applications for the treatment of infections caused by resistant bacteria.

Keywords: