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Study · Animal study (in vivo) · mouse · 2023

7 results

A host defense peptide mimetic, brilacidin, potentiates caspofungin antifungal activity against human pathogenic fungi.

Dos Reis TF, de Castro PA, Bastos RW, Pinzan CF, Souza PFN, Ackloo S, Hossain MA, Drewry DH, Alkhazraji S, Ibrahim AS, Jo H, Lightfoot JD and 4 more

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Adams EM, Fuller KK, deGrado WF, Goldman GH

Nature communications12 Apr 2023Cited by 58 (Europe PMC)

PMID37045836 (opens in a new tab)PMCIDPMC10090755 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1038/s41467-023-37573-y (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-37045836
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Summary

Fungal infections cause more than 1.5 million deaths a year. Due to emerging antifungal drug resistance, novel strategies are urgently needed to combat life-threatening fungal diseases. Here, we identify the host defense peptide mimetic, brilacidin (BRI) as a synergizer with caspofungin (CAS) against CAS-sensitive and CAS-resistant isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, C. auris, and CAS-intrinsically resistant Cryptococcus neoformans. BRI also potentiates azoles against A. fumigatus and several Mucorales fungi. BRI acts in A. fumigatus by affecting cell wall integrity pathway and cell membrane potential. BRI combined with CAS significantly clears A. fumigatus lung infection in an immunosuppressed murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. BRI alone also decreases A. fumigatus fungal burden and ablates disease development in a murine model of fungal keratitis. Our results indicate that combinations of BRI and antifungal drugs in clinical use are likely to improve the treatment outcome of aspergillosis and other fungal infections.
CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study7

4 results from studies that gave the peptide. No result from this study comes from people.

  1. 01AnimalAnimal study (in vivo)Activity measurement

    In mice with fungal keratitis, brilacidin alone decreased A. fumigatus fungal burden.

    In plain wordsIn mice with fungal eye infection, brilacidin alone decreased fungal burden.

    Peptide
    Brilacidin
    Outcome
    DecreaseFungal burden
    Study

    mousen: not reported in source

    Fungal keratitis
    Outcome group
    Infection and antimicrobial activity · Infection
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    BRI alone also decreases A. fumigatus fungal burden and ablates disease development in a murine model of fungal keratitis.
  2. 02AnimalAnimal study (in vivo)Activity measurement

    In mice with fungal keratitis, brilacidin alone ablated disease development.

    In plain wordsIn mice with fungal eye infection, brilacidin alone prevented disease development.

    Peptide
    Brilacidin
    Outcome
    DecreaseDisease development
    Study

    mousen: not reported in source

    Fungal keratitis
    Outcome group
    Infection and antimicrobial activity · Infection
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    BRI alone also decreases A. fumigatus fungal burden and ablates disease development in a murine model of fungal keratitis.
  3. 03LabIn vitro (cells)Mechanism

    In A. fumigatus, brilacidin affected the cell wall integrity pathway.

    In plain wordsIn lab tests, brilacidin affected the fungal cell wall integrity pathway.

    Peptide
    Brilacidin
    Outcome
    Direction not reportedCell wall integrity pathway
    Study

    Aspergillus fumigatusn: not reported in source

    Aspergillus fumigatus
    Outcome group
    Infection and antimicrobial activity · Infection
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    BRI acts in A. fumigatus by affecting cell wall integrity pathway and cell membrane potential.
  4. 04LabIn vitro (cells)Mechanism

    In A. fumigatus, brilacidin affected cell membrane potential.

    In plain wordsIn lab tests, brilacidin affected fungal cell membrane potential.

    Peptide
    Brilacidin
    Outcome
    Direction not reportedCell membrane potential
    Study

    Aspergillus fumigatusn: not reported in source

    Aspergillus fumigatus
    Outcome group
    Infection and antimicrobial activity · Infection
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated

    Source sentences

    Summary
    BRI acts in A. fumigatus by affecting cell wall integrity pathway and cell membrane potential.

Studies that did not test the peptide alone3

In this study, Brilacidin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. These results are not evidence about taking Brilacidin.

  1. 05AnimalNot a test of Brilacidin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Activity measurement

    In mice, brilacidin combined with caspofungin significantly cleared A. fumigatus lung infection.

    In plain wordsIn mice, brilacidin combined with caspofungin significantly cleared fungal lung infection.

    Peptide
    Brilacidin
    Outcome
    DecreaseLung infection clearance
    Study

    mousen: not reported in source

    Immunosuppressed invasive pulmonary aspergillosis
    Outcome group
    Infection and antimicrobial activity · Infection

    Source sentences

    Summary
    BRI combined with CAS significantly clears A. fumigatus lung infection in an immunosuppressed murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.

    In this study, Brilacidin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Brilacidin.

  2. 06LabNot a test of Brilacidin aloneIn vitro (cells)Activity measurement

    In lab tests, brilacidin combined with caspofungin showed synergy against CAS-sensitive and CAS-resistant A. fumigatus, C. albicans, C. auris, and CAS-intrinsically resistant C. neoformans.

    In plain wordsIn lab tests, brilacidin enhanced caspofungin activity against sensitive and resistant fungal isolates.

    Peptide
    Brilacidin
    Outcome
    DecreaseCaspofungin synergy
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Pathogenic fungi
    Outcome group
    Infection and antimicrobial activity · Infection

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Here, we identify the host defense peptide mimetic, brilacidin (BRI) as a synergizer with caspofungin (CAS) against CAS-sensitive and CAS-resistant isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, C. auris, and CAS-intrinsically resistant Cryptococcus neoformans.

    In this study, Brilacidin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Brilacidin.

  3. 07LabNot a test of Brilacidin aloneIn vitro (cells)Activity measurement

    In lab tests, brilacidin potentiated azoles against A. fumigatus and several Mucorales fungi.

    In plain wordsIn lab tests, brilacidin enhanced azole activity against A. fumigatus and several Mucorales fungi.

    Peptide
    Brilacidin
    Outcome
    DecreaseAzole potentiation
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Pathogenic fungi
    Outcome group
    Infection and antimicrobial activity · Infection

    Source sentences

    Summary
    BRI also potentiates azoles against A. fumigatus and several Mucorales fungi.

    In this study, Brilacidin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Brilacidin.

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

PepBank keeps every version of the data on this study. Status changes from Retraction Watch, Europe PMC and Crossref are listed with their source.

  1. Version 2Current

    27 Oct 2026, 18:20 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    27 Oct 2026, 16:32 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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