BETA-SHEET ANTIBIOTIC PEPTIDES AS POTENTIAL DENTAL THERAPEUTICS

Small, cysteine-rich, beta-sheet peptide antibiotics are found through out the Animalia. Though broad spectrum in potential, they may exert s elective antimicrobial effects under certain conditions. We have explo red the antimicrobial properties of two families of beta-sheet peptide antibiotics, defensins and protegrins, against periodontopathic bacte ria. The rabbit defensin NP-1 was active against facultative Gram-nega tive bacteria associated with early onset periodontitis, including Act inobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and the Capnocytophaga spp. Porcine protegrins showed even greater activity against those organisms, as we ll as against anaerobic bacteria associated with adult periodontitis, including Porphyromonas gingivalis Prevotella intermedia and Fusobacte rium nucleatum. Based on these observations, we believe that protegrin -like beta-sheet peptide antibiotics may be useful dental therapeutics . (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.