Optimized strategies for designing antimicrobial peptides targeting multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria

The study explores the development of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) based on the peptide WRK. It identifies a peptide called FWK, which exhibits self-assembly behavior and rapid bactericidal activity against multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. The study found that positive charge and amphiphilicity are more critical for antimicrobial activity than hydrophobicity. The study also found that the antibacterial activity of peptides is influenced by the type, quantity, and placement of substituted amino acids. The biocompatibility of lysine was found to be superior to arginine.