SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF MICROBAL INFECTIONS

摘要

The present invention provides compositions useful as antimicrobial agents which include mammalian hemoglobin, the alpha and beta chains of hemoglobin free of heme, fragments of the alpha and beta chains that result from cyanogen bromide cleavage of the alpha and beta chains, and synthetic peptides derived therefrom. The compositions exert antimicrobial activity against both bacteria and fungi that is comparable to known antimicrobial peptides from human neutrophils, cathepsin G and azurocidin. Sensitive organisms include Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus faecalis, and the fungus Candida albicans. Methods for preparing the compositions also are provided.