Abstract:Candida albicans is an important cause of systemic fungal infections, and rapid diagnostics for identifying and differentiating C. albicans from other Candida species are critical for the timely application of appropriate antimicrobial therapy, improved patient outcomes, and pharmaceutical cost savings. In this work, two 28S rRNA-directed peptide nucleic acid-fluorescence in situ hybridization (PNA-FISH) probes, P-Ca726 (targeting a novel region of the ribosome) and P-CalB2208 (targeting a previously reported … Show more
“…These biosensors on electrical impedance alterations resulting from the presence of bacterial or fungal surface elements, or on the specificity of peptide nucleic acid probes against their targets, presenting higher versatility, lower costs, and lower sensitivity limits compared to other conventional methodologies. [278][279][280] Alternatively, AMPs could be used as drug delivery systems in the form of conjugates in order to accurately target drugs and other agents to tumor sites or intended organs, as typified by monodisperse "endosomolytic" nanoparticles for in vivo gene delivery using intravenous injection, or by functionalized nanoparticles with higher membrane penetration targeted against gliomas. 281,282 Such functionalization may allow for deeper tissue penetration, increased antimicrobial potency, sustained release, and novel routes of administration to be achieved.…”
Section: Application Of Amps Beyond Conventional Pharmacological Therapymentioning
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an integral part of the innate immune defense mechanism of many organisms. Due to the alarming increase of resistance to antimicrobial therapeutics, a growing interest in alternative antimicrobial agents has led to the exploitation of AMPs, both synthetic and isolated from natural sources. Thus, many peptide-based drugs have been the focus of increasing attention by many researchers not only in identifying novel AMPs, but in defining mechanisms of antimicrobial peptide activity as well. Herein, we review the available strategies for the identification of AMPs in human body fluids and their mechanism(s) of action. In addition, an overview of the distribution of AMPs across different human body fluids is provided, as well as its relation with microorganisms and infectious conditions.
“…These biosensors on electrical impedance alterations resulting from the presence of bacterial or fungal surface elements, or on the specificity of peptide nucleic acid probes against their targets, presenting higher versatility, lower costs, and lower sensitivity limits compared to other conventional methodologies. [278][279][280] Alternatively, AMPs could be used as drug delivery systems in the form of conjugates in order to accurately target drugs and other agents to tumor sites or intended organs, as typified by monodisperse "endosomolytic" nanoparticles for in vivo gene delivery using intravenous injection, or by functionalized nanoparticles with higher membrane penetration targeted against gliomas. 281,282 Such functionalization may allow for deeper tissue penetration, increased antimicrobial potency, sustained release, and novel routes of administration to be achieved.…”
Section: Application Of Amps Beyond Conventional Pharmacological Therapymentioning
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an integral part of the innate immune defense mechanism of many organisms. Due to the alarming increase of resistance to antimicrobial therapeutics, a growing interest in alternative antimicrobial agents has led to the exploitation of AMPs, both synthetic and isolated from natural sources. Thus, many peptide-based drugs have been the focus of increasing attention by many researchers not only in identifying novel AMPs, but in defining mechanisms of antimicrobial peptide activity as well. Herein, we review the available strategies for the identification of AMPs in human body fluids and their mechanism(s) of action. In addition, an overview of the distribution of AMPs across different human body fluids is provided, as well as its relation with microorganisms and infectious conditions.
“…While another platform for the detection of only Gram-positive bacterial strains could reach 10 3 cfu/mL via immobilizing class IIa bacteriocins [ 160 ]. In addition, specific detection of fungal C. albicans can also be made by using peptide nucleic acid probes [ 161 ].…”
Section: Potential Applications Of Antimicrobial Peptidesmentioning
This article highlights new members, novel mechanisms of action, new functions, and interesting applications of antimicrobial peptides reported in 2014. As of December 2014, over 100 new peptides were registered into the Antimicrobial Peptide Database, increasing the total number of entries to 2493. Unique antimicrobial peptides have been identified from marine bacteria, fungi, and plants. Environmental conditions clearly influence peptide activity or function. Human α-defensin HD-6 is only antimicrobial under reduced conditions. The pH-dependent oligomerization of human cathelicidin LL-37 is linked to double-stranded RNA delivery to endosomes, where the acidic pH triggers the dissociation of the peptide aggregate to release its cargo. Proline-rich peptides, previously known to bind to heat shock proteins, are shown to inhibit protein synthesis. A model antimicrobial peptide is demonstrated to have multiple hits on bacteria, including surface protein delocalization. While cell surface modification to decrease cationic peptide binding is a recognized resistance mechanism for pathogenic bacteria, it is also used as a survival strategy for commensal bacteria. The year 2014 also witnessed continued efforts in exploiting potential applications of antimicrobial peptides. We highlight 3D structure-based design of peptide antimicrobials and vaccines, surface coating, delivery systems, and microbial detection devices involving antimicrobial peptides. The 2014 results also support that combination therapy is preferred over monotherapy in treating biofilms.
“…Because Candida spp. differ in their patterns of resistance to common antifungals, differentiation of C. albicans from other Candida species is required for appropriate preventative and antimicrobial therapy ( Kim and Brehm-Stecher, 2015 ). Moreover, the number of clinical C. albicans isolates resistant to antifungal agents is on the rise ( Liu et al, 2014 ).…”
Candida albicans is the most common human yeast pathogen which causes mucosal infections and invasive fungal diseases. Early detection of this pathogen is needed to guide preventative and therapeutic treatment. The aim of this study was to establish a polymerase spiral reaction (PSR) assay that rapidly and accurately detects C. albicans and to assess the clinical applicability of PSR-based diagnostic testing. Internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2), a region between 5.8S and 28S fungal ribosomal DNA, was used as the target sequence. Four primers were designed for amplification of ITS2 with the PSR method, which was evaluated using real time turbidity monitoring and visual detection using a pH indicator. Fourteen non-C. albicans yeast strains were negative for detection, which indicated the specificity of PSR assay was 100%. A 10-fold serial dilution of C. albicans genomic DNA was subjected to PSR and conventional polimerase chain reaction (PCR) to compare their sensitivities. The detection limit of PSR was 6.9 pg/μl within 1 h, 10-fold higher than that of PCR (69.0 pg/μl). Blood samples (n = 122) were collected from intensive care unit and hematological patients with proven or suspected C. albicans infection at two hospitals in Beijing, China. Both PSR assay and the culture method were used to analyze the samples. Of the 122 clinical samples, 34 were identified as positive by PSR. The result was consistent with those obtained by the culture method. In conclusion, a novel and effective C. albicans detection assay was developed that has a great potential for clinical screening and point-of-care testing.
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