Novel peptide therapeutics for treatment of infections

Abstract

Microbiology, Dstl Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 0JQ, UK As antibiotic resistance increases worldwide, there is an increasing pressure to develop novel classes of antimicrobial compounds to fight infectious disease. Peptide therapeutics represent a novel class of therapeutic agents. Some, such as cationic antimicrobial peptides and peptidoglycan recognition proteins, have been identified from studies of innate immune effector mechanisms, while others are completely novel compounds generated in biological systems. Currently, only selected cationic antimicrobial peptides have been licensed, and only for topical applications. However, research using new approaches to identify novel antimicrobial peptide therapeutics, and new approaches to delivery and improving stability, will result in an increased range of peptide therapeutics available in the clinic for broader applications.

Alpha-helical cationic antimicrobial peptides: relationships of structure and function

“…Antibiotic resistance has become a great concern in terms of public health, and the delayed development of new antibiotics to hinder growth of antibiotic resistance makes the problem more serious (Oyston et al, 2009). Therefore, new antimicrobial strategies and/or alternative drugs are required to revive the potency of traditional antibiotics and to guard human health (Marshall and Arenas, 2003;Marr et al, 2006).…”

The antimicrobial peptide Ci-MAM-A24 is highly active against multidrug-resistant and anaerobic bacteria pathogenic for humans

“…In the search for new antimicrobial agents, these peptide antibiotics represent a promising class of substances that may be used as templates for the design of novel drugs [1].…”

“…The number of strains developing resistance against conventional antibiotics is constantly increasing [1,8]. Another prominent group of human pathogens regularly posing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges is represented by a multitude of anaerobic bacteria.…”

The PDB database is a rich source of alpha-helical anti-microbial peptides to combat disease causing pathogens

“…The ability to choose a peptide from the host itself is an invaluable asset, since nativeness of the peptide allays fears of eliciting a negative immune response upon administration. The problem of antibiotic resistance is also increasing focus on peptide based therapies 9, 63 , since it is ‘an enigma that bacteria have not developed highly effective cationic AMP-resistance mechanisms’ 64 . Lastly, in face of the current Ebola outbreak 65, 66 , we strongly suggest the possibility of developing peptides derived from the human genome to target viral epitopes, such as those enumerated for the Ebola virus recently 7 .…”