Anti-proliferative effect of an analogue of the LL-37 peptide in the colon cancer derived cell line HCT116 p53+/+ and p53−/−

Antimicrobial peptides of the cathelicidin family are found in many mammalianspecies, and are focused on various effects other than antimicrobial action. Inthis study, we evaluated the anti-proliferative effect of an analogue peptide,FF/CAP18, derived from an endogenous cathelicidin family member against the coloncancer cell line HCT116. FF/CAP18 significantly decreased the proliferation ofHCT116 cells in a dose-dependent fashion. Furthermore, the treatment of HCT116with FF/CAP18 caused loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and resulted inthe immunoreactivity to the single-strand DNA antibody, suggesting the early stageof apoptosis. Interestingly, the anti-proliferative effect of FF/CAP18 was constantregardless of the genotype of p53 (wild-type and p53 mutant type HCT116 cells).Therefore, the signaling pathway of p53 is not involved in the growth suppressioneffect of the cathelicidin analogue peptide. These results indicate that the treatmentof certain types of cancer cells with FF/CAP18 may increase the sensitivity ofthe chemotherapeutic reagents, which might relate to the reduction of the sideeffects.