Catestatin: Antimicrobial Functions and Potential Therapeutics

• Published in: Pharmaceutics Vol. 15; no. 5; p. 1550
• Main Authors: Jati, Suborno, Mahata, Sumana, Das, Soumita, Chatterjee, Saurabh, Mahata, Sushil K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20.05.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Amino acids; Antibacterial agents; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; antimicrobial peptide; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Catecholamines; catestatin; cell permeable peptide; Cholera; Chromogranin A; Drug resistance; E coli; Fungal infections; Fungi; Gram-negative bacteria; Gram-positive bacteria; gut microbiome; Membranes; Peptides; Review; Salmonella; Tropical diseases; catestatin; cell permeable peptide; Chromogranin A; gut microbiome; antimicrobial peptide
• ISSN: 1999-4923; 1999-4923
• DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15051550

The rapid increase in drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant infections poses a serious challenge to antimicrobial therapies, and has created a global health crisis. Since antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have escaped bacterial resistance throughout evolution, AMPs are a category of potential alternatives for antibiotic-resistant "superbugs". The Chromogranin A (CgA)-derived peptide Catestatin (CST: hCgA ; bCgA ) was initially identified in 1997 as an acute nicotinic-cholinergic antagonist. Subsequently, CST was established as a pleiotropic hormone. In 2005, it was reported that N-terminal 15 amino acids of bovine CST (bCST aka cateslytin) exert antibacterial, antifungal, and antiyeast effects without showing any hemolytic effects. In 2017, D-bCST (where L-amino acids were changed to D-amino acids) was shown to exert very effective antimicrobial effects against various bacterial strains. Beyond antimicrobial effects, D-bCST potentiated (additive/synergistic) antibacterial effects of cefotaxime, amoxicillin, and methicillin. Furthermore, D-bCST neither triggered bacterial resistance nor elicited cytokine release. The present review will highlight the antimicrobial effects of CST, bCST (aka cateslytin), D-bCST , and human variants of CST (Gly364Ser-CST and Pro370Leu-CST); evolutionary conservation of CST in mammals; and their potential as a therapy for antibiotic-resistant "superbugs".