Antimicrobial Peptides Mediate Apoptosis by Changing Mitochondrial Membrane Permeability

Abstract

Changes in mitochondrial membrane permeability are closely associated with mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which have been found to enter cells to exert physiological effects, cause damage to the mitochondria. This paper reviews the molecular mechanisms of AMP-mediated apoptosis by changing the permeability of the mitochondrial membrane through three pathways: the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM), and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP). The roles of AMPs in inducing changes in membrane permeability and apoptosis are also discussed. Combined with recent research results, the possible application prospects of AMPs are proposed to provide a theoretical reference for the development of AMPs as therapeutic agents for human diseases.

Isolation, Purification, and Structural Characterization of Polysaccharides from Codonopsis pilosula and Their Anti-Tumor Bioactivity by Immunomodulation

“…A past study showed that the polysaccharides in C. pilosula may induce tumor cell apoptosis by activating the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. The mechanism of apoptosis may be related to increasing the mitochondrial membrane permeability [ 25 ], promoting the release of cytochrome C, and activating downstream caspase 3 through a cascade reaction.…”

Antifungal Peptide P852 Effectively Controls Fusarium oxysporum, a Wilt-Causing Fungus, by Affecting the Glucose Metabolism and Amino Acid Metabolism as well as Damaging Mitochondrial Function

“…Depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) directly affects the normal function of mitochondria and is an important indicator for observing early apoptosis . When the MMP collapses, it leads to mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and Cyt c leakage into the cytoplasm, which activates apoptosis. , Combined with the reduced ATP12 protein expression found in the proteome and the observed swelling of mitochondria, disruption of the inner membrane structure, and leakage of the contents, this suggests that the destruction of mitochondria by P852 is drastic. The results showed that P852 induced mitochondrial damage, content leakage, and MMP collapse in F.…”

Revisiting edible insects as sources of therapeutics and drug delivery systems for cancer therapy

“…The cGAS-STING pathway regulates several pathological processes brought on by the immunological response to the ectopic localization of self-DNA, including cytosolic mitochondrial DNA, in addition to protecting cells against a variety of DNA containing pathogens. Besides its well established antimicrobial properties, melittin creates pores in the cell membrane and the mitochondrial membrane, and may lead to exposure of mitochondrial DNA in the cytoplasm of cancer cells (Díaz-Achirica et al, 1994;Wang et al, 2022). It also causes morphological changes in the cell membrane and DNA damage in leukocytes even at noncytotoxic doses (Guha et al, 2021).…”