Investigation of α/γ hybrid peptide self-assembled structures with antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties.

The present work describes the synthesis and characterization of alpha/gamma hybrid peptides, Boc-Phe-gamma(4)-Phe-Val-OMe, P1; Boc-Ala-gamma(4)-Phe-Val-OMe, P2; and Boc-Leu-gamma(4)-Phe-Val-OMe, P3 together with the formation of self-assembled structures formed by these hybrid peptides in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/water (1:1). The self-assembled structures were characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further, alpha/gamma hybrid peptide self-assembled structures were evaluated for antibacterial properties. Among all, the self-assembled peptide P1 exhibited the antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, while self-assembled peptide P3 inhibited the biofilms of Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In this study, we have shown the significance of self-assembled structures formed from completely hydrophobic alpha/gamma hybrid peptides in exploring the antibacterial properties together with biofilm inhibition.