Antifouling performance of D-enantiomers-based peptide-modified aluminum alloy surfaces with enhanced stability against proteolytic degradation

Lou, Tong; Bai, Xiuqin; He, Xiaoyan; Liu, Wencheng; Yang, Zongcheng; Yang, Ying; Yuan, Chengqing

Abstract

Marine biofouling presents a significant challenge to the sustainable development of the maritime industry. Antimicrobial peptide (AMP) offers a promising strategy to combat biofouling. However, the inherent susceptibility of natural AMPs composed of L-amino acids to proteolytic degradation limits their practical application. This study investigated the stability of peptides containing D-amino acids against proteolytic degradation and evaluated their antifouling performance through the modification of aluminum-based surfaces with these peptides. D-peptides exhibited remarkable stability compared to the L-peptides counterpart when exposed to pepsin. Furthermore, the surfaces modified with D-peptides displayed excellent antifouling capacity by significantly inhibiting the adhesion of Bacillus sp. (58.6%) and E. coli (88.7%), the comparable effects observed with L-peptides (61.7%) and (87.5%), respectively. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and scanning electron microscopy results analyses revealed that immobilized D-peptides effectively disrupted bacterial cell membranes, thereby preventing bacterial adhesion. This research provided a viable approach to enhance the stability of peptides against proteolytic degradation while maintaining outstanding antifouling performance, contributing to the development of effective strategies for antifouling in the maritime industry.

Citation

Lou, T., Bai, X., He, X., Liu, W., Yang, Z., Yang, Y., & Yuan, C. (2023). Antifouling performance of D-enantiomers-based peptide-modified aluminum alloy surfaces with enhanced stability against proteolytic degradation. Journal of Materials Science, 58, Article 15499–15512

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 13, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Oct 12, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-10
• Deposit Date: Feb 1, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Materials Science
• Print ISSN: 0022-2461
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 58
• Article Number: 15499–15512
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10853-023-08960-z