LL-37 · research summary

In Vivo Activity of Antimicrobial Peptoid Oligomers against HSV-1 in a Mouse Model of Herpes Labialis.

ACS infectious diseases · 2026. Summary drawn from the study's full text. Each statement is followed by the exact sentence it comes from. This is a research summary, not medical advice.

Study type

In vitro and in vivo preclinical study using a mouse model of HSV-1 lip infection
“This study aims to define the mechanism of action of these antiviral peptoids and assess the activity of the most potent peptoids in a mouse model of HSV-1 labial infection.”

Subjects

BALB/c mice and human cell lines (TIGK and Vero E6)
“BALB/c, A/J, and SJL/J strains (n = 5 per group) were compared to C57BL/6 mice using the lip scarification technique infected with HSV-1 GFP.”

Sample size

n = 5 per group for in vivo mouse experiments
“Power analysis was carried out based on preliminary experiments, to obtain an optimal group size of n = 5.”

Duration

5 days post-infection for primary observation and tissue harvest
“Lips and TG were harvested on day 5 postinfection for DNA analysis.”

Reported findings

The peptoid acts primarily by disrupting the viral envelope prior to cell entry, showing no significant effect on post-entry stages.
“Figure A illustrates a significant reduction in HSV-1 DNA levels at the preattachment stage, with MXB-9 showing a 6.25-fold reduction compared to the untreated control.”
No significant adverse effects such as weight loss or local pathology were observed in treated mice.
“Monitoring of body weight revealed no evidence of weight loss across treatment groups (Figure E).”

Limitations stated by the authors

The model does not completely mimic recurrent human infection, and the mechanism in vivo may involve factors beyond extracellular virus inactivation due to delayed treatment.
“It is recognized, however, that this model does not completely mimic the recurrent infection in humans.”

Source: PubMed 42402200 · DOI 10.1021/acsinfecdis.6c00224 · all study summaries

Reported findings

The peptoid acts primarily by disrupting the viral envelope prior to cell entry, showing no significant effect on post-entry stages.

“Figure A illustrates a significant reduction in HSV-1 DNA levels at the preattachment stage, with MXB-9 showing a 6.25-fold reduction compared to the untreated control.”

No significant adverse effects such as weight loss or local pathology were observed in treated mice.

“Monitoring of body weight revealed no evidence of weight loss across treatment groups (Figure E).”