# Antibacterial efficacy and mechanism of the novel antimicrobial peptide lachnospirin-1 against Acinetobacter baumannii

## TL;DR

A new antimicrobial peptide called lachnospirin-1 shows strong effectiveness against drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections.

## Contribution

Lachnospirin-1 is a novel antimicrobial peptide with potent activity against CRAB and multiple mechanisms of action.

## Key findings

- Lachnospirin-1 effectively kills CRAB and eliminates biofilms and persister cells.
- The peptide disrupts bacterial membranes, neutralizes lipopolysaccharide, and induces oxidative stress.
- Mouse models confirmed its safety and in vivo bactericidal activity.

## Abstract

The treatment of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) infections has become a major global medical challenge; therefore, there is an urgent need for new antimicrobial development. Antimicrobial peptides hold great promising potential due to their rapid bactericidal activity and low induction of drug resistance. In this study, we screened and synthesized the antimicrobial peptide lachnospirin-1, which exhibited significant bactericidal activity against CRAB and can also effectively eliminate its biofilms and persister cells. Mechanism studies, including fluorescent probe detection, transmission electron microscopy observations, and molecular dynamics simulations, et al. indicated that lachnospirin-1 exerts its effects through multiple mechanisms, such as disrupting bacterial cell membranes, neutralizing lipopolysaccharide, as well as inducing oxidative stress, which also demonstrates its certain potential. In addition, the favorable safety profile and effective in vivo bactericidal activity of lachnospirin-1 were determined by mouse models. Overall, our study found that lachnospirin-1 has considerable research potential as a lead compound and possesses latent value as a clinical therapy for refractory infections caused by CRAB.