University of León researchers develop chickpea-derived peptide to combat MRSA

Researchers from the University of León, in collaboration with the University of A Coruña, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Southern California, have developed a new peptide to combat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The study, published in the journal Molecular Biomedicine, focuses on a plant-derived antimicrobial peptide from chickpeas.

To overcome the bacteria's ability to hide inside human cells to evade the immune system and antibiotics, scientists incorporated the peptide into a circular molecule called a cyclotide. This modification, resulting in the compound MCo-KTR2, increased the peptide's resistance to degradation in human serum from less than one hour to over thirty hours.

Laboratory tests demonstrated that the compound can cross cell membranes to reach bacteria sheltered within cells and effectively binds to the PBP2a protein, which is responsible for methicillin resistance. The research suggests this approach could help prevent persistent infections and relapses caused by MRSA, a pathogen linked to approximately 100,000 deaths annually due to resistant strains.