Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33420317›Full record

ArticleCommunications biology2021

Curbing gastrointestinal infections by defensin fragment modifications without harming commensal microbiota.

Louis Koeninger, Lisa Osbelt, Anne Berscheid, Judith Wendler, Jürgen Berger, Katharina Hipp, Till R Lesker, Marina C Pils, Nisar P Malek, Benjamin A H Jensen and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications biology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Gut-to-tumor translocation of multidrug-resistantFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Louis KoeningerDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. louis.koeninger@med.uni-tuebingen.de.ORCID 0000-0001-9868-0670
Lisa OsbeltDepartment of Microbial Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Anne BerscheidDepartment for Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1585-8715
Judith WendlerDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Jürgen BergerMax-Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Electron Microscopy, Tübingen, Germany.
Katharina HippMax-Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Electron Microscopy, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-1493-9698
Till R LeskerDepartment of Microbial Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Marina C PilsMouse Pathology and Histology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Nisar P MalekDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Benjamin A H JensenNovo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Human Genomics and Metagenomics in Metabolism, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Heike Brötz-OesterheltDepartment for Microbial Bioactive Compounds, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-9364-1832
Till StrowigDepartment of Microbial Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-0185-1459
Jan WehkampDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research · DEUniversity Children's Hospital Tübingen · DEGerman Center for Infection Research · DEMax Planck Institute for Developmental Biology · DEUniversity of Copenhagen · DK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The occurrence and spread of multidrug-resistant pathogens, especially bacteria from the ESKAPE panel, increases the risk to succumb to untreatable infections. We developed a novel antimicrobial peptide, Pam-3, with antibacterial and antibiofilm properties to counter this threat. The peptide is based on an eight-amino acid carboxyl-terminal fragment of human β-defensin 1. Pam-3 exhibited prominent antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens and additionally eradicated already established biofilms in vitro, primarily by disrupting membrane integrity of its target cell. Importantly, prolonged exposure did not result in drug-resistance to Pam-3. In mouse models, Pam-3 selectively reduced acute intestinal Salmonella and established Citrobacter infections, without compromising the core microbiota, hence displaying an added benefit to traditional broad-spectrum antibiotics. In conclusion, our data support the development of defensin-derived antimicrobial agents as a novel approach to fight multidrug-resistant bacteria, where Pam-3 appears as a particularly promising microbiota-preserving candidate.

Indexed as

AnimalsBiofilmsDisease Models, AnimalDrug Resistance, Multiple, BacterialEnterobacteriaceae InfectionsFemaleGastrointestinal DiseasesGastrointestinal MicrobiomeMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMicrobial Sensitivity TestsSalmonella Infections, Animal

Identifiers

PMID33420317
PMCPMC7794397
OpenAlexW3120940182

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.