Anti-Infective Peptides that Enhance the Host Innate Immune Response: Assay Development, Inhibitor Evaluation and Lead Candidate Assessment

SPSB-iNOS inhibitors show promise as a novel class of anti-infectives that act by boosting host innate immunity. Over the last decade, these inhibitors have been developed to improve drug-likeness but have not been evaluated in live cells. This study describes the development of cell-based assays for evaluating these inhibitors. A library of inhibitors was screened using different cellular assays, which successfully identified several lead candidates. This study represents a significant step in the development of SPSB-iNOS inhibitors that could be used to treat infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses.