Frog-derived synthetic peptides display anti-infective activity against Gram-negative pathogens

Novel antibiotics are urgently needed since bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to existing antimicrobial drugs. Furthermore, available antibiotics are broad spectrum, often causing off-target effects on host cells and the beneficial microbiome. To overcome these limitations, we used structure-guided design to generate synthetic peptides derived from Andersonin-D1, an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) produced by the odorous frog Odorrana andersonii. We found that both hydrophobicity and net charge were critical for its bioactivity, enabling the design of novel, optimized synthetic peptides. These peptides selectively targeted Gram-negative pathogens in single cultures and complex microbial consortia, showed no off-target effects on human cells or beneficial gut microbes, and did not select for bacterial resistance. Notably, they also exhibited in vivo activity in two preclinical murine models. Overall, we present synthetic peptides that selectively target pathogenic infections and offer promising preclinical antibiotic candidates.