Tetraspanin CD9 peptides for membrane disruptive on P. aeruginosa

Abstract

The rapid development of multidrug-resistant strains and nosocomial P. aeruginosa infections pose a growing threat in the clinical setting. Tetraspanin CD9 peptides has demonstrated the antimicrobial activity against various gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Recently, CD9 peptides have shown anti-adhesion properties against P. aeruginosa isolates. In this study, we investigated the effect of CD9 peptides on the membrane of P. aeruginosa by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The result shows the CD9 peptides cause disruption of the membrane of P. aeruginosa. In addition to the established antibacterial properties, this work reveals that tetraspanin CD9 peptides, a membrane-disrupting drug, could possibly be used as an additional treatment approach against P. aeruginosa. Future research should incorporate confocal microscopy to locate the bacterial matrix components and distinguish between living and dead P. aeruginosa upon the treatment with CD9 peptides.