A Polycation Antimicrobial Peptide Mimic without Resistance Buildup against Propionibacterium Acnes

A preliminary study is reported for a polycation antimicrobial peptide (AMP) mimic against Propionibacterium acnes , which is associated with acne vulgaris, a common skin condition. Antibiotics are commonly used against P. acnes but buildup of resistance is well‐known. Worse, antibiotic regimens build up resistance for more sensitive bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis . The polycation AMP mimic C12‐50, 1 , is chosen for the present study as it has been previously shown to have high antimicrobial effectiveness. This study reports that C12‐50 is active against P. acnes (strain ATCC 6919) with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6.3 µg mL −1 . To monitor resistance build‐up ten passages are conducted with C12‐50 against P. acnes . The MIC remains constant with no resistance buildup. Parallel studies with erythromycin confirm previously reported resistance buildup. The results point to a promising pathway to applications for polycation AMP mimics against P. acnes .