Ciprofloxacin as a tryptophan mimic within an antimicrobial peptide

Abstract

Ciprofloxacin has been used to replace tryptophan at positions 3 and 6 in the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) Bac8c. Bac8c(Cip^3,6) showed comparable antimicrobial activity but increased selectivity toward some Gram-negative bacteria with MIC values of ≤6.25 μM. Bac8c(Cip^3,6) was also non-cytotoxic to cultured HepG2 cells at antimicrobial concentrations, with a CC₅₀ >300 μM.