Construction and synthesis of lactoferricin derivatives with enhanced antibacterial activity

A series of peptides derived from sequences from human, bovine, murine and caprine lactoferrin has been prepared and investigated for antibacterial effect. Among the four species investigated peptides based on the bovine sequence displayed significant activity. The bovine sequence, bovine lactoferricin, showed a MIC value of 30 mu g/mL on E. coli and S. aureus, whereas the three other lactoferricins possessed MIC values above 200 mu g/mL. Based on these findings, never peptides with enhanced antibacterial activities, were prepared with sequences designed by molecular modelling and structure-activity studies. Copyright (C) 1999 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.