Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Anti-Herpetic Activity of Killer Peptide (KP): An In Vitro Study

Arianna Sala
,
Francesco Ricchi
ORCID logo ,
Laura Giovati
ORCID logo ,
Stefania Conti
ORCID logo ,
Tecla Ciociola
ORCID logo ,
Claudio Cermelli
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 17 September 2024 / Approved: 18 September 2024 / Online: 19 September 2024 (08:45:59 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Sala, A.; Ricchi, F.; Giovati, L.; Conti, S.; Ciociola, T.; Cermelli, C. Anti-Herpetic Activity of Killer Peptide (KP): An In Vitro Study. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 10602. Sala, A.; Ricchi, F.; Giovati, L.; Conti, S.; Ciociola, T.; Cermelli, C. Anti-Herpetic Activity of Killer Peptide (KP): An In Vitro Study. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 10602.

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides represent a promising alternative to traditional drugs in relation to cost, toxicity and, primarily, the growing problem of drug resistance. Here we report on the activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 of a previously described wide-spectrum synthetic decapeptide, Killer Peptide (KP). As determined by plaque reduction assays, treatment with KP at 100 μg/mL resulted in a reduction in the viral yield titer of 3.5 Logs for HSV-1 and 4.1 Logs for HSV-2. Further evaluation of KP antiviral activity focused on the early stages of virus replicative cycle, including the determination of the residual infectivity of viral suspensions treated with KP. A direct effect of the peptide on viral particles, impairing virus absorption and penetration, was shown. The toxicity profile proved to be extremely good with a selectivity index of 29.6 for HSV-1 and 156 for HSV-2. KP was also active against an acyclovir (ACV)-resistant HSV-1 strain, while HSV-1 subcultures in the presence of sub-inhibitory doses of KP did not lead to the emergence of resistant strains. Finally, the antiviral action of KP proved to be synergistic with that of ACV. Overall, these results demonstrate that KP could represent an interesting addition/alternative to acyclovir for antiviral treatment.

Keywords

Antimicrobial peptides; HSV-1; HSV-2; antivirals; Killer Peptide (KP)

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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