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Infection and Immunity, January 2004, p. 602-605, Vol. 72, No. 1
0019-9567/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.1.602-605.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Protection against Anthrax Toxemia by Hexa-D-Arginine In Vitro and In Vivo

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112,¹ Microbial Pathogenesis Section, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892²

Received 22 July 2003/ Returned for modification 21 August 2003/ Accepted 25 September 2003

The anthrax toxin protective antigen precursor is activated by proteolytic cleavage by furin or a furin-like protease. We present here data demonstrating that the small stable furin inhibitor hexa-D-arginine amide delays anthrax toxin-induced toxemia both in cells and in live animals, suggesting that furin inhibition may represent a reasonable avenue for therapeutic intervention in anthrax.

Editor: J. T. Barbieri

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