Magainin-2
Antimicrobial Peptide / VenomAlso known as: Magainin 2, Magainin II, MSI-78 (parent)
Amphibian Antimicrobial PeptidesResearch phase: Preclinical (parent); Phase 3 (pexiganan analog)Regulatory: Not approved. See pexiganan for clinical development.
Mechanism
Magainin-2 is an antimicrobial peptide from the African clawed frog that kills bacteria by disrupting their cell membranes. Its synthetic analog pexiganan was tested in clinical trials.
Technical detail
Magainin-2 is a 23-amino acid alpha-helical cationic peptide from Xenopus laevis skin. It forms toroidal pores in bacterial membranes via the carpet/toroidal pore model, selectively targeting anionic prokaryotic membranes over zwitterionic eukaryotic membranes. The synthetic analog pexiganan (MSI-78) advanced to Phase 3 trials.