Synthesis and antibacterial study of Temporin F analogs

• Grant number: 21/10775-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Vani Xavier de Oliveira Junior
• Grantee: Lucas Melo Bosquetti
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The increase in population longevity and the consequent overuse of antibiotics has led to the emergence of bacteria resistant to conventional treatments and has threatened the success of treatments for diseases caused by microorganisms, requiring the search for new pharmacotherapeutic options. In this regard, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have aroused great interest in the scientific community, since they have activity against a wide spectrum of microorganisms, from viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and even tumor cells. AMPs are short chains of amino acids produced by a wide variety of organisms as an essential component of the innate immune response. This project proposes to study the Temporin F molecule, synthesizing analogs with substitutions in the peptide chain, aiming to obtain peptides with more relevant antimicrobial activities, and less hemolytic activity, using the targeted mutation technique. The analogs will be synthesized by solid-phase method, purified by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and characterized by Mass Spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS). Biological tests to verify the antimicrobial activity of these compounds will be carried out on strains of different microorganisms. The conformational studies will be carried out by Circular Dichroism (CD).(AU)