Inpharma 1329 - 16 Mar 2002

■ A novel peptide derived from human saliva haspromising antifungal and antibacterial activity,according to in vitro study results presented at the2002 International Association of Dental Researchmeeting. The 20-amino acid peptide, designatedMUC7 20-mer, is a small segment of a larger moleculefound in human saliva. The peptide has potent in vitroactivity at very low concentrations against fungalorganisms that cause candidiasis, cryptococcosis andaspergillosis, and several bacteria, includingEscherichia coli, Porphyromonas gingivalis andStreptococcus mutans. Although its mechanism ofaction has yet to be determined, the peptide appearsto have a low tendency to elicit resistance.Furthermore, the peptide shows little or no toxicity tomammalian cells.University of Buffalo. UB dental researchers find novel peptide in saliva thatkills broad range of fungi and bacteria: shows potent activity against severaldrug-resistant fungal strains. Media Release : [2 pages], 9 Mar 2002. Availablefrom: URL: http://www.buffalo.edu 800901034

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Inpharma 16 Mar 2002 No. 13291173-8324/10/1329-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved