AUTHOR=Zegar Aneta , Godlewska Urszula , Kozłowska-Chmielewska Dorota , Majewski Pawel , Zabel Brian A. , Cichy Joanna 

TITLE=Chemerin-Derived Peptide Val66-Pro85 Is Effective in Limiting Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus Skin Infection

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.742610

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2021.742610

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Chemerin-derived peptide Val<sup>66</sup>-Pro<sup>85</sup> (p4) restricts the growth of a variety of skin-associated bacteria, including methicillin-resistant <italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> (MRSA). To better understand the antimicrobial potential of chemerin peptide, we compared p4 activity against MRSA <italic>in vitro</italic> to cathelicidin LL-37, one of the key endogenous peptides implicated in controlling the growth of <italic>S. aureus</italic>. The efficacy of p4 was also validated in relevant experimental models of skin pathology, such as topical skin infection with community-acquired MRSA, and in the context of skin inflammatory diseases commonly associated with colonization with <italic>S. aureus</italic>, such as atopic dermatitis (AD). We showed that p4 collaborates additively with LL-37 in inhibiting the growth of <italic>S. aureus</italic>, including MRSA, and that p4 was effective <italic>in vivo</italic> in reducing MRSA burden. p4 was also effective in reducing levels of skin-infiltrating leukocytes in <italic>S. aureus</italic>-infected AD-like skin. Taken together, our data suggest that p4 is effective in limiting <italic>S. aureus</italic> and, in particular, MRSA skin infection.</p>