Identification of heptapeptides targeting a lethal bacterial strain in septic mice through an integrative approach

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The antibacterial peptide LL-37 from humans has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity by increasing the membrane permeability of bacteria, neutralizing endotoxins, and suppressing the production of proinflammatory factors.

“The antibacterial peptide LL-37 from humans was found to have broad-spectrum antibacterial activity31–34 by increasing the membrane permeability of bacteria, neutralizing endotoxins, and suppressing the production of proinflammatory factors.35”

• cites [31] de Breij, A. et al. The antimicrobial peptide SAAP-148 combats drug-resistant bacteria and biofilms. Sci. Transl. Med. 10, eaan4044 (2018). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [32] Zhou, Y. Q. et al. Genetically engineered distal airway stem cell transplantation protects mice from pulmonary infection. EMBO Mol. Med. 12, e10233 (2020). sourcePartly supported

  The Introduction says human LL-37 has broad bactericidal activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The Results report lower IL-6 and IL-1β mRNA in infected LL-37 transgenic mouse lungs, but do not establish that LL-37 directly suppresses their production. Neither the Introduction nor the retrieved Results and Discussion passages establish increased bacterial membrane permeability or endotoxin neutralization as mechanisms. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [33] Fan, D. et al. Activation of HIF-1alpha and LL-37 by commensal bacteria inhibits Candida albicans colonization. Nat. Med. 21, 808–814 (2015). sourceCould not verify

  The paper discusses LL-37’s activity against Candida albicans (Abstract; page unavailable), but citation 35 is attached to the proposed antibacterial mechanisms. Searches for bacterial membrane permeability, endotoxin neutralization, and suppression of proinflammatory factors found no passage addressing those mechanisms. (LLM, conf=0.76)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [34] Chromek, M. et al. The antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin protects the urinary tract against invasive bacterial infection. Nat. Med. 12, 636–641 (2006). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [35] Sorensen, O. E. et al. Human cathelicidin, hCAP-18, is processed to the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 by extracellular cleavage with proteinase 3. Blood 97, 3951–3959 (2001). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

LL-37 is considered an ideal template or molecular skeleton for the development of new antimicrobial drugs.

“For this reason, LL-37 is considered an ideal template or a molecular skeleton for the development of new antimicrobial drugs.36”

• cites [36] Pachon-Ibanez, M. E., Smani, Y., Pachon, J. & Sanchez-Cespedes, J. Perspectives for clinical use of engineered human host defense antimicrobial peptides. FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 41, 323–342 (2017). sourceSupported

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Early and effective inhibition or killing of pathogens is essential for the prevention and treatment of sepsis.

“Early and effective inhibition or killing of pathogens is essential for the prevention and treatment of sepsis.12”

• cites [12] Evans, L. et al. Surviving sepsis campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2021. Intensive Care Med. 47, 1181–1247 (2021). sourcePartly supported

  The Infection rationale (page not provided) says early, appropriate antimicrobials reduce mortality in patients with sepsis, supporting the treatment portion. It does not establish that inhibiting or killing pathogens prevents sepsis; its recommendations concern patients with suspected or established sepsis. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

May combine two claims.

Various commercially available antimicrobial drugs exhibit prominent defects, including nonspecific targeting and low concentrations in the lesion, leading to low efficiency, high toxicity, various side effects and multidrug resistance.

“At present, various commercially available antimicrobial drugs exhibit some prominent defects, including nonspecific targeting and low concentrations in the lesion, which leads to low efficiency, high toxicity, various side effects15 and multidrug resistance.16,17”

• cites [15] Amabile-Cuevas, C. Society must seize control of the antibiotics crisis. Nature 533, 439 (2016). sourcePartly supported

  The passage labelled Abstract (page not provided) says antibiotic resistance is growing and that more multiresistant bacteria are emerging. It does not link multidrug resistance to nonspecific targeting or low drug concentrations at lesions, and it does not discuss the claimed efficiency or toxicity defects. (LLM, conf=0.83)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [16] Chaurasia, S. et al. Neonatal sepsis in South Asia: huge burden and spiralling antimicrobial resistance. BMJ 364, k5314 (2019). sourcePartly supported

  The ‘Spiralling antimicrobial resistance’ section (Table 2; page unavailable) reports substantial multidrug resistance among pathogens isolated from babies with neonatal sepsis in South Asian hospitals. It does not attribute that resistance to nonspecific drug targeting or low concentrations at lesions, nor does it establish those defects for commercially available antimicrobials generally. The adjacent side-effects claim is cited separately in the citing sentence. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [17] Gandhi, T. N. & Malani, P. N. Combination therapy for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: not ready for prime time. JAMA 323, 515–516 (2020). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

HSPs protect essential proteins under physiological conditions and degrade damaged or misfolded proteins and recover raw materials for protein synthesis, thus helping cells maintain normal physiological activities.

“HSPs not only protect essential proteins under physiological conditions but also degrade damaged or misfolded proteins and recover raw materials for protein synthesis, thus helping cells maintain normal physiological activities.53,54”

• cites [53] Joutsen, J. et al. Heat shock factor 2 protects against proteotoxicity by maintaining cell-cell adhesion. Cell Rep. 30, 583–597 (2020). e586. sourcePartly supported

  The Introduction (page unavailable) says HSPs help maintain a correct protein-folding environment by refolding misfolded proteins or directing them to degradation machinery. It does not say that HSPs themselves degrade proteins or recover raw materials for protein synthesis, and it does not specifically describe protection of essential proteins under physiological conditions. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [54] Dubrez, L. et al. Heat-shock proteins: chaperoning DNA repair. Oncogene 39, 516–529 (2020). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

DEGP and DEGQ play a central role in protein quality control in the bacterial periplasmic space, through degrading denatured and misfolded proteins accumulated under adverse conditions.

“As HSP homologous proteases, DEGP and DEGQ were found to play a central role in protein quality control in the bacterial periplasmic space, through degrading denatured and misfolded proteins accumulated under adverse conditions.55,56”

• cites [55] Fu, X. et al. DegP functions as a critical protease for bacterial acid resistance. FEBS J. 285, 3525–3538 (2018). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [56] Malet, H. et al. Newly folded substrates inside the molecular cage of the HtrA chaperone DegQ. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 19, 152–157 (2012). sourceSupported

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The frequencies of the peptides displayed on phages are not even in the library.

“Usually, the frequencies of the peptides displayed on phages are not even in the library. There were some reasons for the heterogenous phage amount, such as biases in library construction, variance in the use of cryptography,45,46 the different growth rates of phages and peptide degradation by protease.47”

• cites [45] Sharp, P. M. & Li, W. H. The codon adaptation index−a measure of directional synonymous codon usage bias, and its potential applications. Nucleic Acids Res. 15, 1281–1295 (1987). sourceCould not verify

  The Introduction discusses uneven synonymous codon usage, and ‘Predicting levels of heterologous gene expression’ discusses codon usage in phage genes. Neither addresses whether peptides displayed in a phage library occur at uneven frequencies; searches for phage-display libraries and peptide frequencies found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.76)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [46] Lee, S., Weon, S., Lee, S. & Kang, C. Relative codon adaptation index, a sensitive measure of codon usage bias. Evol. Bioinform. Online 6, 47–55 (2010). sourceCould not verify

  The Results and Discussion section discusses codon usage in bacteriophage λ genes, not the frequencies of peptides displayed in a phage library. A search for phage-display library abundance and uneven peptide frequencies found no passage addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [47] Cheng, Y. et al. Protease-responsive prodrug with aggregation-induced emission probe for controlled drug delivery and drug release tracking in living cells. Anal. Chem. 88, 8913–8919 (2016). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Early antibacterial therapy is important for increasing the survival of patients with sepsis.

“Clinical epidemiological investigation shows that 95% of sepsis in patients is caused by bacterial infections, and early antibacterial therapy is important for increasing the survival of patients with sepsis.37,38”

• cites [37] Tong, S. Y. C. et al. Effect of vancomycin or daptomycin with vs without an antistaphylococcal beta-lactam on mortality, bacteremia, relapse, or treatment failure in patients with MRSA bacteremia: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 323, 527–537 (2020). sourceCould not verify

  The Abstract and Discussion compare antibiotic regimens in patients with MRSA bacteremia, not early versus delayed treatment in patients with sepsis. A search for treatment timing and sepsis survival found no passage in our copy addressing whether early antibacterial therapy increases survival. (LLM, conf=0.75)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [38] Lagu, T. et al. Hospitalizations, costs, and outcomes of severe sepsis in the United States 2003 to 2007. Crit. Care Med. 40, 754–761 (2012). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

LL37 interacts with negatively charged groups of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) through its positively charged group, leading to weakened toxicity to the body.

“Previous studies demonstrated that LL37 interacts with negatively charged groups of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) through its positively charged group, leading to weakened toxicity to the body.52”

• cites [52] Nagaoka, I. et al. Cathelicidin family of antibacterial peptides CAP18 and CAP11 inhibit the expression of TNF-alpha by blocking the binding of LPS to CD14(+) cells. J. Immunol. 167, 3329–3338 (2001). sourcePartly supported

  The Discussion (page unavailable) reports that the 37-residue human CAP18 peptide binds and neutralizes LPS, and the murine endotoxin-shock Results report improved survival after CAP18 administration. But the Discussion describes an interaction between the peptide’s positive charges and LPS’s negative charges as a proposed explanation, not a demonstrated mechanism for this peptide. (LLM, conf=0.86)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

95% of sepsis in patients is caused by bacterial infections.

“Clinical epidemiological investigation shows that 95% of sepsis in patients is caused by bacterial infections, and early antibacterial therapy is important for increasing the survival of patients with sepsis.37,38”

• cites [37] Tong, S. Y. C. et al. Effect of vancomycin or daptomycin with vs without an antistaphylococcal beta-lactam on mortality, bacteremia, relapse, or treatment failure in patients with MRSA bacteremia: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 323, 527–537 (2020). sourceCould not verify

  The paper’s Abstract and Discussion address treatment and outcomes in patients with MRSA bacteremia, not the causes of sepsis across patients generally. Searches for the 95% figure and for bacterial causes of sepsis found no passage supporting the claimed proportion. (LLM, conf=0.75)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
• cites [38] Lagu, T. et al. Hospitalizations, costs, and outcomes of severe sepsis in the United States 2003 to 2007. Crit. Care Med. 40, 754–761 (2012). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Most AMPs lack precise molecular targets.

“Although AMPs have the characteristics of broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, overcoming multidrug resistance50,51 and mitigating dangerous side effects, most of these AMPs lack precise molecular targets.”

• cites [50] Zasloff, M. Antimicrobial peptides of multicellular organisms. Nature 415, 389–395 (2002). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [51] Mookherjee, N., Anderson, M. A., Haagsman, H. P. & Davidson, D. J. Antimicrobial host defence peptides: functions and clinical potential. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 19, 311–332 (2020). sourceSupported

May combine two claims.

Traditional antibacterial drugs are prone to become drug resistant due to their low efficiency and lack of targeting.

“However, traditional antibacterial drugs are prone to become drug resistant due to their low efficiency and lack of targeting.39,40”

• cites [39] Kuehn, B. M. Multidrug-resistant candida auris concern stems from New York cases. JAMA 323, 702 (2020). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [40] Hou, X. et al. Vitamin lipid nanoparticles enable adoptive macrophage transfer for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial sepsis. Nat. Nanotechnol. 15, 41–46 (2020). sourcePartly supported

  The Abstract (page unavailable) describes antimicrobial resistance as a challenge in treating sepsis and says persistent infections indicate a paucity of effective antimicrobial agents. It does not say that traditional antibacterial drugs cause resistance because of low efficiency or lack of targeting; the targeting it describes concerns the proposed nanoparticle therapy. (LLM, conf=0.84)

  Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The sequencing data for the phage library or sublibraries of phages binding to the pathogenic bacteria were obtained with a volume of 46.63 G and 4.45 G, respectively.

“The sequencing data for the phage library or sublibraries of phages binding to the pathogenic bacteria were obtained with a volume of 46.63 G and 4.45 G, respectively (Supplementary Table S1).”

May combine two claims.

The 24 h survival rate of mice challenged with low-dose (5 × 10^6 CFU/g) pathogenic bacteria was 10%, and there was no survival for mice subjected to high-dose (1 × 10^7 CFU/g) injection of this strain, which was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05).

“The 24 h survival rate of mice challenged with low-dose (5 × 106 CFU/g) pathogenic bacteria was 10%, and there was no survival for the mice subjected to high-dose (1 × 107 CFU/g) injection of this strain, which was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05) (Fig. 1b).”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

The C7C phage library has a diversity of 1.28 × 10^9, which covers almost all possible combinations of amino acids (AAs).

“The C7C phage library has a diversity of 1.28 × 109, which covers almost all possible combinations of amino acids (AAs).”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The sequences with stop codons or without up- and/or downstream labels were removed, and clean sequence data were acquired from the samples or phage library with overall percentages of 83.51% and 87.25%, respectively.

“The sequences with stop codons or without up- and/or downstream labels were removed, and clean sequence data were acquired from the samples or phage library with overall percentages of 83.51% and 87.25%, respectively (Fig. 3b).”

May combine two claims.

Different heptapeptides encoded by phages were found with different frequencies in the phage library; the frequency of heptapeptide distribution was extremely heterogenous.

“Due to the bias in the composition of phages, different heptapeptides encoded by these phages were found with different frequencies in the phage library. For example, the frequencies of GSAPVRS and LTAKHMQ were 7,741 and 7,257, respectively (Supplementary Table S2), whereas the lowest frequency was only 1, indicating that the frequency of heptapeptide distribution was extremely heterogenous.”

May combine two claims.

Compared to the control, 21 proteins were upregulated and 57 proteins were downregulated in the VKT group.

“We found 21 upregulated proteins and 57 downregulated proteins in the VKT group (Fig. 8c).”

May combine two claims.

In comparison with the input, 112 and 131 proteins were significantly upregulated in the HEE and VTK groups, respectively.

“we found that 112 and 131 proteins were significantly upregulated in the HEE and VTK groups, respectively (Supplementary Fig. S7a, b).”

May combine two claims.

The net charge distribution of the binding heptapeptides was between −3 and 2 with a peak between −1 and 0.

“We found that the net charge distribution of the binding heptapeptides was between −3 and 2 with a peak between −1 and 0 (Fig. 4c)”

May combine two claims.

VTK-LL37 significantly suppressed the production of HMGB1 in the serum of septic mice, which was superior to LL37.

“We found that VTK-LL37 significantly suppressed the production of HMGB1 in the serum of septic mice, which was superior to LL37 (Fig. 7d).”

May combine two claims.

The lethal bacterial strain MSI001 from CLP mice belongs to the species E. coli and is closest to LR134216 and LR134231 in evolution.

“Consistent with the epidemiology of sepsis, the lethal bacterial strain MSI001 from CLP mice was identified to belong to the species E. coli and was closest to LR134216 and LR134231 in evolution (Fig. 1d, e).”

May combine two claims.

The frequency of the heptapeptide GSAPVRS was the maximum (7,741), while the frequency of the heptapeptide DEWWLPE was the minimum (1).

“For example, the frequency of the heptapeptide GSAPVRS was the maximum (7,741), while the frequency of the heptapeptide DEWWLPE was the minimum (1), which confirmed the concept that the frequencies of heptapeptides presented by phages were extremely uneven.”

May combine two claims.

Both VTK-LL37 and LL37-VTK inhibited MSI001 bacterial growth and showed stronger antibiotic activity than LL37 alone in the early stage (1-3 h) of bacterial growth.

“Importantly, we found that both VTK-LL37 and LL37-VTK not only inhibited MSI001 bacterial growth but also showed stronger antibiotic activity than LL37 alone in the early stage (1-3 h) of bacterial growth (Fig. 6b).”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The PI of the binding heptapeptides was distributed between 3 and 12 with an outline of double peaks.

“their PI was distributed between 3 and 12 with an outline of double peaks (Fig. 4d)”

May combine two claims.

A lethal E. coli strain was isolated from the blood of mice subjected to CLP modeling and identified by DNA sequencing.

“In this study, a lethal E. coli strain was isolated from the blood of mice subjected to CLP modeling and identified by DNA sequencing (Fig. 1a-e).”

May combine two claims.

The peptide QTYHSGH ranked 106 before normalization, whereas its ranking was elevated to position 1 after normalization against the library.

“in contrast, the peptide QTYHSGH ranked 106 before normalization, whereas its ranking was elevated to position 1 after normalization against the library (Supplementary Table S5).”

May combine two claims.

There was dose-dependent binding between DEGQ/DEGP and VTK, with equilibrium dissociation rate constants (KD) of VTK toward DEGQ/DEGP proteins of 1.73 nM and 15.8 nM, respectively.

“The results displayed that there was dose-dependent binding signals between DEGQ/DEGP and VTK, and the binding affinity represented by equilibrium dissociation rate constants (KD) of VTK toward DEGQ/DEGP proteins were 1.73 nM and 15.8 nM, respectively.”

May combine two claims.

There were 27 heptapeptides binding to pathogenic bacteria with a frequency higher than 2,000, and the highest frequency was 5,124.

“There were 27 heptapeptides binding to pathogenic bacteria with a frequency higher than 2,000, and the highest frequency was 5,124 (Fig. 3c, d; Supplementary Table S3).”

May combine two claims.

We performed phage display biopanning and acquired high-affinity heptapeptides binding to the pathogenic bacterium after normalization of the library.

“In this study, we performed phage display biopanning and acquired high-affinity heptapeptides binding to the pathogenic bacterium after normalization of the library.”

May combine two claims.

There was no apparent correlation between the heptapeptide frequency and the binding activity before normalization, whereas their correlation was significantly improved after normalization.

“Interestingly, we found that there was no apparent correlation between the heptapeptide frequency and the binding activity before normalization, whereas their correlation was significantly improved after normalization.”

May combine two claims.

The grand average of hydropathicity (GRAVY) value distribution of the binding heptapeptides was between −4 and 3 with an apex between −1 and 0.

“and the grand average of hydropathicity (GRAVY) value distribution was between −4 and 3 with an apex between −1 and 0 (Fig. 4e).”

May combine two claims.

VTK-LL37 inhibited biofilm formation of E. coli MSI001, and VTK-LL37 had a stronger inhibition of biofilm formation at a low dose than LL37 alone.

“Moreover, we also found that VTK-LL37 inhibited biofilm formation of E. coli MSI001, and VTK-LL37 had a stronger inhibition of biofilm formation at a low dose than LL37 alone (Fig. 6c, d).”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Overall, the most abundant AA residue was threonine (T), and the rarest was cysteine (C).

“Overall, the most abundant AA residue was threonine (T), and the rarest was cysteine (C).”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Different pathogens have different sensitivities to antibacterial drugs, characteristics of organ distribution and other biological behaviors, which lead to different clinical manifestations and prognoses.

“It is well established that different pathogens have different sensitivities to antibacterial drugs, characteristics of organ distribution and other biological behaviors, which lead to different clinical manifestations and prognoses.13,14”

• cites [13] Brun-Buisson, C. et al. EPISEPSIS: a reappraisal of the epidemiology and outcome of severe sepsis in French intensive care units. Intensive Care Med. 30, 580–588 (2004). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [14] Bhattacharjya, S. De novo designed lipopolysaccharide binding peptides: structure based development of antiendotoxic and antimicrobial drugs. Curr. Med. Chem. 17, 3080–3093 (2010). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

The bacterial strain isolated from the blood of CLP mice was lethal and suitable for the reproduction of sepsis.

“This result indicated that this bacterial strain isolated from the blood of CLP mice was lethal and suitable for the reproduction of sepsis.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The sequencing data were composed of 98.98% clean reads, 0.09% containing N reads, 0.64% adapter-related reads and 0.29% low-quality reads.

“Generally, the sequencing data were composed of 98.98% clean reads, 0.09% containing N reads, 0.64% adapter-related reads and 0.29% low-quality reads (Fig. 2e).”

May combine two claims.

Sequencing quality along reads was distributed in Q30 to Q40, with an accuracy higher than 99.9%, and the error rate for most reads was below 0.025%.

“Sequencing quality along reads was distributed in Q30 to Q40, with an accuracy higher than 99.9% (Fig. 2c), and the error rate for most reads was below 0.025% (Fig. 2d).”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) induced by bacterial infections are small, active peptides with the capability to stimulate the innate immune activity of living organisms.

“Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) induced by bacterial infections are small, active peptides with the capability to stimulate the innate immune activity of living organisms.49”

• cites [49] Hancock, R. E. Cationic peptides: effectors in innate immunity and novel antimicrobials. Lancet Infect. Dis. 1, 156–164 (2001). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

Constrained principal coordinates analysis (cPCoA) found that the intragroup reproducibility was satisfied and that the difference between groups was significant.

“Constrained principal coordinates analysis (cPCoA) was performed to test the intragroup reproducibility and difference between groups, and found that the intragroup reproducibility was satisfied and that the difference between groups was significant (Fig. 8a).”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Effective antibacterial therapy is a hopeful approach to significantly reducing the fatality of sepsis.

“Effective antibacterial therapy is a hopeful approach to significantly reducing the fatality of sepsis.48”

• cites [48] Kumar, A. et al. Duration of hypotension before initiation of effective antimicrobial therapy is the critical determinant of survival in human septic shock. Crit. Care Med. 34, 1589–1596 (2006). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Phage display technology has been widely applied in various studies, including protein-protein interactions, antigen epitope screening, and peptide screening.

“Phage display technology has been widely applied in various studies, including protein-protein interactions (PPIs), antigen epitope screening,42 peptide screening and so on.43”

• cites [42] Pande, J., Szewczyk, M. M. & Grover, A. K. Phage display: concept, innovations, applications and future. Biotechnol. Adv. 28, 849–858 (2010). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites [43] Smothers, J. F., Henikoff, S. & Carter, P. Tech.Sight. Phage display. Affinity selection from biological libraries. Science 298, 621–622 (2002). sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

The antibacterial activity of VTK-LL37 was superior to LL37 both in vitro and in vivo by specifically targeting DEGP or DEGQ membrane proteins on lethal E. coli MSI001.

“We demonstrated that the antibacterial activity of VTK-LL37 was superior to LL37 both in vitro and in vivo by specifically targeting DEGP or DEGQ membrane proteins on lethal E. coli MSI001.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into sham and CLP groups.

“C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into sham and CLP groups.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups for the therapeutic effect study.

“To study the therapeutic effect of synthetic peptides, C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

Our study provides tremendous potential for the application of a systematic approach to killing pathogens by precise targeting, especially in the treatment of sepsis.

“Our study provides tremendous potential for the application of a systematic approach to killing pathogens by precise targeting, especially in the treatment of sepsis.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The animal procedures were conducted in compliance with the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and were approved by the local Animal Care and Use Committee of Southern Medical University.

“The animal procedures were conducted in compliance with the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and were approved by the local Animal Care and Use Committee of Southern Medical University.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

A total of 30 C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned evenly to 3 groups (low-dose, high-dose, and control).

“To study the lethal bacterial strain MSI001, we randomly assigned a total of 30 C57BL/6 mice evenly to 3 groups, i.e., the low-dose group, high-dose group and control group, in which the mice were subjected to peritoneal injection with 5 × 106 or 1 × 107 CFU/g bodyweight bacteria or an equivalent volume of NS, respectively.”