Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katrina Browne, Rajesh Kuppusamy, William R. Walsh, David StC Black, Mark D. P. Willcox, Naresh Kumar, Renxun Chen
Summary: Antibiotic resistance is a global challenge, and combination therapies using antibiotics and antimicrobial peptidomimetics can mitigate the development of resistance in bacteria. This strategy demonstrates synergistic activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and has significant potential in clinical applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
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
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.
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)
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)
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yafeng Wang, Menglin Xue, Ruixuan Gao, Soumyadeep Chakraborty, Shaohui Wang, Xue Zhao, Meng Gu, Chuanhai Cao, Xingmin Sun, Jianfeng Cai
Summary: Antibiotic resistance is a major global health issue and there is a pressing need for the development of new antibiotics to combat drug resistance. In this article, the design of lipidated dendrimeric ?-AApeptides as a new class of antimicrobial agents is reported. These AApeptides showed potent and broad-spectrum activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Mechanistic studies revealed that the dendrimeric AApeptides rapidly kill bacteria by permeabilizing bacterial membranes, similar to host-defense peptides (HDPs). These dendrimers also have a low likelihood of inducing antibiotic resistance. The easy synthesis and strong antimicrobial activity make these lipidated dendrimeric ?-AApeptides a new generation of antibacterial agents.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Denise Bellotti, Maurizio Remelli
Summary: The emergence of antimicrobial-resistant infections is a global concern, highlighting the need for innovative drugs. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) show promise as therapeutic agents, but face challenges such as degradation and low bioavailability.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ramon Roca-Pinilla, Leszek Lisowski, Anna Aris, Elena Garcia-Fruitos
Summary: Host defense peptides (HDPs) are small proteins with potent antibacterial and immunomodulatory activities, suitable for clinical applications. Traditional methods of producing antimicrobial peptides are expensive and toxic, making recombinant production of HDPs an alternative. This review explores different strategies for optimizing HDPs, including fine-tuning their activities, bioengineering, and recombinant production in various cell factories.
MICROBIAL CELL FACTORIES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Swagatam Barman, Sudip Mukherjee, Logia Jolly, Cassandra Troiano, Alessandro Grottesi, Debajyoti Basak, Paolo Calligari, Brinta Bhattacharjee, Gianfranco Bocchinfuso, Lorenzo Stella, Jayanta Haldar
Summary: New isoamphipathic antibacterial molecules with positional isomerism were designed and showed good antibacterial activity with low toxicity towards mammalian cells. The ortho isomer, IAM-1, exhibited strong selective activity towards bacterial membranes. Furthermore, IAM-1 demonstrated efficacy against dormant bacteria and mature biofilms, as well as moderate in vivo activity against MRSA wound infection with no detectable dermal toxicity.
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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew Drayton, Julia P. Deisinger, Kevin C. Ludwig, Nigare Raheem, Anna Mueller, Tanja Schneider, Suzana K. Straus
Summary: The rapid rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria has raised concerns about the effectiveness of traditional antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides, with their diverse mechanisms of actions, offer a promising solution to combat these pathogens. This review discusses the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and the potential of antimicrobial peptides in providing a more robust treatment of bacterial infections.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mengmeng Zheng, Chunpu Li, Mi Zhou, Ru Jia, Fengyu She, Lulu Wei, Feng Cheng, Qi Li, Jianfeng Cai, Yan Wang
Summary: The study developed an artificial antibody based on gamma-AApeptides, with small molecular weight, antibody-like properties, strong resistance to proteolysis, excellent binding affinity to HER2, effective inhibition of cell proliferation in vitro, suppression of tumor growth in vivo, and potential therapeutic applications for treating cancers.
ACTA PHARMACEUTICA SINICA B
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Qing Yang, Melanie A. Whitmore, Kelsy Robinson, Wentao Lyu, Guolong Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the synergy among sodium butyrate, forskolin, and lactose in enhancing innate host defense, barrier function, and resistance to necrotic enteritis and coccidiosis in poultry. The results showed that the combination of these three compounds significantly improved chicken survival, alleviated disease symptoms, and reduced pathogen colonization levels. These findings suggest that dietary supplementation of butyrate, forskolin, and lactose is a promising antibiotic alternative approach to disease control and prevention in poultry and potentially other livestock species.
