Antibiotic-free Self-assembled Polypeptide Nanomicelles for Bacterial Keratitis

Drug resistance of bacteria limits the effectiveness of traditional antibiotics for bacterial keratitis. Antimicrobial peptides with a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and bactericidal mechanism of membrane disruption provide an alternative for the treatment of bacterial keratitis. In the present study, an antimicrobial peptide polymer was developed and self-assembled into polypeptide nanomicelles (PPNMs) for treatment of bacterial keratitis. The self-assembly process led to spherical shapes with a diameter of around 45 nm and a relatively narrow size distribution. The nanomicelles also exhibited a positive charge and excellent biocompatibility. Antimicrobial tests have shown that PPNMs possessed a mechanism of action to destroy bacterial membranes and were superior to tobramycin in the treatment of bacterial keratitis. Therefore, we expect PPNMs to have good potential as an antimicrobial drug.