Peptides with Dual Antimicrobial-Anticancer Activity Derived from the N-terminal Region of H. pylori Ribosomal Protein L1 (RpL1)

Whereas the traditional approaches of cancer therapy including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy have failed to properly treat cancer due to the condition of the space inside the tumor with the hypoxic/necrotic regions, abnormality of blood vessels that prevent delivery of enough oxygen, nutrients, and therapeutic agents, also, and the emergence of resistance, finding a new way has still remained a challenge. Antimicrobial peptides with dual anticancer activity have received more attention as a new approach for cancer treatment. Using bacteria and their products including the bacterial peptides have shown promising results in tumor regression or inhibition. Surprisingly, the small peptides derived from N-terminus of the ribosomal proteinL1 (RpL1) of Helicobacter pylori demonstrate the strong anticancer activity including activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9-dependent pathway, inducing apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle at the G0/G1 and G2/M and inhibiting the cell proliferation. Moreover, in addition to the anticancer effects, these peptides exhibit the antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-parasitic activities through membrane disruption, pore-forming, and enhancing the membrane permeability. The present study is a comprehensive review of the anticancer activity as well as antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-parasitic activities of small peptides derived from N-terminus of the ribosomal proteinL1 (RpL1) of H. pylori as an anticancer therapeutic peptide.