Antimicrobial · Research Phase
Indolicidin
No lawful US pathway
01 · Overview
Indolicidin is a 13-residue antimicrobial peptide-amide isolated from the cytoplasmic granules of bovine neutrophils, unusually rich in tryptophan and proline (PMID 16034027). It adopts multiple conformations, including a globular amphipathic form in aqueous solution and a different shape in lipid micelles (PMID 16034027).
It is bactericidal and permeabilizes bacterial membranes but does not cause cell wall lysis, indicating more than one mechanism of antimicrobial action (PMID 16034027). Its clinical development has been limited.
02 · Research summary & key findings
Structural and binding studies show that indolicidin both permeabilizes membranes and binds DNA with sequence preference, consistent with its known inhibition of DNA synthesis and induction of bacterial filamentation (PMID 16034027). The peptide has served as the parent structure for synthetic derivatives, including omiganan, which has been taken into human trials. No clinical trials of indolicidin itself were identified, and it remains in the research phase.
03 · Regulatory status
Indolicidin is in the research phase with limited clinical data in humans. Current evidence is primarily derived from preclinical (animal or in vitro) studies.
No lawful pathway today
Indolicidin is not FDA-approved and does not currently have a lawful prescription or compounding pathway in the United States, so we do not sell it and will not book a consultation for it. That can change: in 2026 FDA began reviewing several peptides for compounding.
See the 3 FDA-approved compounds in Antimicrobial
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04 · Administration routes
- Topical
References
- [1]Structural and DNA-binding studies on the bovine antimicrobial peptide, indolicidin: evidence for multiple conformations involved in binding to membranes and DNA Nucleic Acids Res, 2005. PMID 16034027
Primary literature
- PubMed: "Indolicidin"
Peer-reviewed literature indexed by the National Library of Medicine.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: "Indolicidin"
Registered interventional and observational studies, including status and phase.
- PubChem: "Indolicidin"
Chemical structure, molecular properties, and bioactivity data.
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