1,721,031 research outputs found
Antimicrobial peptides and their interaction with biofilms of medically relevant bacteria
Full text linkBiofilm-associated infections represent one of the major threats of the modern medicine. Biofilmforming bacteria are encased in a complex mixture of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and acquire properties that render them highly tolerant to conventional antibiotics and host immune response. Therefore, there is a pressing demand of new drugs active against microbial biofilms. In this regard, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent an option taken increasingly in consideration. After dissecting the peculiar biofilm features that may greatly affect the development of new antibiofilm drugs, the present article provides a general overview of the rationale behind the use of AMPs against biofilms of medically relevant bacteria and on the possible mechanisms of AMP antibiofilm activity. An analysis of the interactions of AMPs with biofilm components, especially those constituting the EPS, and the obstacles and/or opportunities that may arise from such interactions in the development of new AMP-based antibiofilm strategies is also presented and discussed
Editorial: Advances in the discovery of natural molecules and their analogues against microbial infection-related biofilms
Full text linkEditorial on the Research Topic
Advances in the discovery of natural molecules and their analogues
against microbial infection-related biofilm
The antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of Granudacyn in vitro in a 3D collagen wound infection model
No full textIt is widely agreed that infection and the formation of biofilms play a major role in increasing inflammation and delaying wound healing. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in vitro, the antimicrobial activity of the wound irrigation solution, Granudacyn (Mölnlycke Health Care AB, Sweden) against planktonic bacteria and mature biofilms of clinically relevant bacterial species
Human beta-defensin-3: a promising antimicrobial peptide
No full textThe field of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides is a research area rapidly expanding due to the high potential of such molecules as new antimicrobial drugs. In this regard, the human beta-defensin-3 is particularly attractive because of its strong antibacterial activity, relative salt-insensitiveness and low toxicity for host cells
Therapeutic Potential of Antimicrobial Peptides in Polymicrobial Biofilm-Associated Infections
No full textIt is widely recognized that many chronic infections of the human body have a polymicrobial etiology. These include diabetic foot ulcer infections, lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients, periodontitis, otitis, urinary tract infections and even a proportion of systemic infections. The treatment of mixed infections poses serious challenges in the clinic. First, polymicrobial communities of microorganisms often organize themselves as biofilms that are notoriously recalcitrant to antimicrobial therapy and clearance by the host immune system. Secondly, a plethora of interactions among community members may affect the expression of virulence factors and the susceptibility to antimicrobials of individual species in the community. Therefore, new strategies able to target multiple pathogens in mixed populations need to be urgently developed and evaluated. In this regard, antimicrobial or host defense peptides (AMPs) deserve particular attention as they are endowed with many favorable features that may serve to this end. The aim of the present review is to offer a comprehensive and updated overview of studies addressing the therapeutic potential of AMPs in mixed infections, highlighting the opportunities offered by this class of antimicrobials in the fight against polymicrobial infections, but also the limits that may arise in their use for this type of application
Combination Strategies to Enhance the Efficacy of Antimicrobial Peptides against Bacterial Biofilms
Full text linkThe great clinical significance of biofilm-associated infections and their inherent recalcitrance to antibiotic treatment urgently demand the development of novel antibiofilm strategies. In this regard, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are increasingly recognized as a promising template for the development of antibiofilm drugs. Indeed, owing to their main mechanism of action, which relies on the permeabilization of bacterial membranes, AMPs exhibit a strong antimicrobial activity also against multidrug-resistant bacteria and slow-growing or dormant biofilm-forming cells and are less prone to induce resistance compared to current antibiotics. Furthermore, the antimicrobial potency of AMPs can be highly increased by combining them with conventional (antibiotics) as well as unconventional bioactive molecules. Combination treatments appear particularly attractive in the case of biofilms since the heterogeneous nature of these microbial communities requires to target cells in different metabolic states (e.g., actively growing cells, dormant cells) and environmental conditions (e.g., acidic pH, lack of oxygen or nutrients). Therefore, the combination of different bioactive molecules acting against distinct biofilm components has the potential to facilitate biofilm control and/or eradication. The aim of this review is to highlight the most promising combination strategies developed so far to enhance the therapeutic potential of AMPs against bacterial biofilms. The rationale behind and beneficial outcomes of using AMPs in combination with conventional antibiotics, compounds capable of disaggregating the extracellular matrix, inhibitors of signaling pathways involved in biofilm formation (i.e., quorum sensing), and other peptide-based molecules will be presented and discussed
Insights into the Antimicrobial Properties of Hepcidins: Advantages and Drawbacks as Potential Therapeutic Agents
Full text linkThe increasing frequency of multi-drug resistant microorganisms has driven the research towards alternative therapeutic strategies. In this respect, natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) hold much promise as candidates for the development of novel antibiotics. However, AMPs have some intrinsic drawbacks, such as partial degradation by host proteases or inhibition by host body fluid composition, potential toxicity, and high production costs. This review focuses on hepcidins, which are peptides produced by human liver with a known role in iron homeostasis, as well as from numerous other organisms (including fish, reptiles, other mammals), and their potential as antibacterial and antifungal agents. Interestingly, antimicrobial properties of human hepcidins are enhanced at acidic pH, rendering these peptides appealing for the design of new drugs targeting infections that occur in body districts with physiologic acidic pH. This review not only considers current research on the direct killing activity of these peptides, but evaluates the potential application of these molecules as coating agents preventing biofilm formation and critically assesses technical obstacles preventing a therapeutic application
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