Review
Agronomy
Fernando Lobo, Alicia Boto
Summary: Host-defense peptides (HDP) are emerging as promising phytosanitaries due to their potency, low toxicity, and low induction of antimicrobial resistance. They are natural compounds that have been used by animals and plants for millions of years to defend against pathogens. HDPs are being discovered through genome mining and produced using biofactories. Truncated or modified peptides have been developed to improve their bioactivities and reduce production costs. The combination of HDP and other antimicrobials, as well as the development of hybrid molecules, has shown promising results. However, cautionary measures need to be taken for the sustainable use of HDPs.
Article
Immunology
Qing Yang, Amanda C. Burkardt, Lakshimi T. Sunkara, Kan Xiao, Guolong Zhang
Summary: The study found that certain natural cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors can enhance the expression of host defense peptides (HDP) genes in chickens. These inhibitors demonstrated a strong synergistic effect with butyrate in increasing the expressions of multiple HDP genes. Additionally, they promoted the expressions of barrier function-related genes and suppressed inflammatory responses.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Isabel Tobin, Guolong Zhang
Summary: The rise of antimicrobial resistance has led to an urgent need for antibiotic alternatives in disease control and prevention. Host defense peptides (HDPs), with their antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties, offer a promising solution to treating infections without the risk of developing resistance. Polyphenols, natural compounds found in plants, have been found to stimulate HDP synthesis and show potential as antibiotic alternatives.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Kelsy Robinson, Qing Yang, Hong Li, Long Zhang, Bridget Aylward, Ryan J. Arsenault, Guolong Zhang
Summary: The combination of butyrate and forskolin shows a strong synergy in inducing the expressions of several chicken HDP genes and genes involved in barrier function, leading to significant alleviation of intestinal lesions and C. perfringens colonization in a chicken model of necrotic enteritis. RNA sequencing results demonstrate a preferential increase in HDP and barrier function genes with no induction of proinflammatory cytokines in response to butyrate and forskolin. The antiinflammatory and barrier protective properties of butyrate and forskolin were further confirmed by the kinome peptide array, suggesting their potential as novel antibiotic alternatives for enhancing intestinal health and disease resistance in poultry and other animals.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Hashem Etayash, Robert E. W. Hancock
Summary: Amphiphilic antimicrobial polymers and surface engineered polymeric-brush-tethered HDP are promising strategies that aim to overcome limitations of HDPs, enhance physicochemical properties and therapeutic performance, and address unmet therapeutic needs.
Article
Microbiology
Qing Yang, Li-An Fong, Wentao Lyu, Lakshmi T. Sunkara, Kan Xiao, Guolong Zhang
Summary: It was found that different sugars had differential regulatory effects on HDP gene expression in chicken HD11 macrophage cells, with galactose, trehalose, and lactose significantly upregulating certain gene expressions, and all sugars exhibiting a strong synergy with butyrate in enhancing AvBD9 expression.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Felix L. Santana, Ivan Arenas, Evan F. Haney, Karel Estrada, Robert E. W. Hancock, Gerardo Corzo
Summary: In this study, five new crocodylian beta-defensin variants were synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities. Among them, the Am23SK variant showed promising activity against bacterial pathogens and biofilms, while also displaying no cytotoxicity towards mammalian cells and exerting immunomodulatory effects in vitro. These results have expanded the understanding of the activity landscape of crocodylian and reptilian beta-defensins.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Roberto Bello-Madruga, Javier Valle, M. Angeles Jimenez, Marc Torrent, Vivian Montero-Alejo, David Andreu
Summary: Beta-defensins are a highly abundant and studied family of antimicrobial peptides. A study on a beta-defensin-like peptide (PaD) found in spiny lobsters shows that the C-terminus of the peptide is the main determinant of its antibacterial activity. Synthetic versions of PaD and its C-terminus were found to have enhanced antimicrobial activity and binding to bacterial membranes. These findings suggest that the C-terminus of PaD is a promising target for the development of novel anti-infective drugs.
Article
Microbiology
Douglas T. Akahoshi, Dean E. Natwick, Weirong Yuan, Wuyuan Lu, Sean R. Collins, Charles L. Bevins
Summary: Human alpha-defensin 6 (HD6), secreted by Paneth cells of the small intestine, protects against microbes by binding to bacterial surface proteins and self-assembling into fibers and nets, inhibiting flagellar motility. The ability of HD6 to self-assemble is crucial for targeting and restricting bacterial flagellar motility.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Atul Tyagi, Sudeep Roy, Sanjay Singh, Manoj Semwal, Ajit K. Shasany, Ashok Sharma, Ivo Provaznik
Summary: The study team developed an SVM-based model for designing and predicting plant-derived antifungal peptides. The analysis showed preferences for C, G, K, R, S in amino acid sequences, with G, K, R, A dominating the N-terminal and N, S, C, G preferring the C-terminal. Motif analysis revealed the presence of motifs like NYVF, NYVFP, YVFP, NYVFPA, VFPA.
Review
Polymer Science
Yueming Wu, Kang Chen, Jiangzhou Wang, Minzhang Chen, Yuan Chen, Yunrui She, Zi Yan, Runhui Liu
Summary: Microbial infections pose a threat to human health and life. Conventional antibiotics are challenged by the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, necessitating the development of new antimicrobial agents. Host defense peptides (HDPs) have been actively studied as promising antimicrobial agents due to their broad-spectrum activity and low susceptibility to resistance. However, natural HDPs are structurally unstable, leading to the exploration of HDP-mimicking peptides and amino acid polymers as synthetic antimicrobials. This review provides an overview of the design and applications of HDP-mimicking antimicrobial amino acid polymers, highlighting key structural characteristics.
PROGRESS IN POLYMER SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Diana Ivonne Duarte-Mata, Mario Cesar Salinas-Carmona
Summary: Intracellular bacteria cause difficult-to-resolve infections, and standard therapy antibiotics are often ineffective due to poor cellular uptake. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) show promise as a therapeutic approach because of their bactericidal properties and ability to modulate immune responses. This review focuses on AMPs used to treat intracellular bacterial infections and their impact on immune mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Nancy Oguiura, Poliana Garcia Correa, Isabella Lemos Rosmino, Ana Olivia de Souza, Kerly Fernanda Mesquita Pasqualoto
Summary: This study discovered beta-defensin genes in Brazilian snakes and tested the antimicrobial and antifungal activity of their synthetic peptides. The results showed that these beta-defensins have moderate antibacterial activity against certain bacteria, but weak antifungal properties. Additionally, the presence of tryptophan residue is necessary for improved antibacterial activity. The study concludes that snake beta-defensins could be potential template molecules for antibiotic development.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xihui Gao, Junqiang Ding, Chongbing Liao, Jinliang Xu, Xiaoxiao Liu, Wuyuan Lu
Summary: Defensins are a family of cationic antimicrobial peptides with broad-spectrum activity against infectious microbes. Challenges in developing defensins as antibacterial therapeutics include pharmacological and technical obstacles, but various technologies and strategies have been developed to address these issues.
ADVANCED DRUG DELIVERY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Sandeep Lohan, Anastasia G. Konshina, Roman G. Efremov, Innokentiy Maslennikov, Keykavous Parang
Summary: A series of short helical cationic peptides were designed and synthesized to have broad-range bactericidal activity and selectivity toward bacterial cells. The lead peptide 8b showed broad-spectrum activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as selectivity towards prokaryotic cells. The peptide's rapid membranolytic action was confirmed through assays and microscopy.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
