Peptides and proteins with antimicrobial activity Coutinho, Henrique Douglas Melo; Lobo, Katiuscia Menezes; Bezerra, Denise Aline Casimiro ...
Indian Journal of Pharmacology/The Indian journal of pharmacology,
01/2008, Letnik:
40, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The increase of microbial resistance to antibiotics has led to a
continuing search for newer and more effective drugs. Antimicrobial
peptides are generally found in animals, plants, and ...microorganisms and
are of great interest to medicine, pharmacology, and the food industry.
These peptides are capable of inhibiting pathogenic microorganisms.
They can attack parasites, while causing little or no harm to the host
cells. The defensins are peptides found in granules in the
polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and are responsible for the
defense of the organism. Several animal defensins, like dermaseptin,
antileukoprotease, protegrin, and others, have had their activities and
efficacy tested and been shown to be effective against bacteria, fungi,
and protists; there are also specific defensins from invertebrates,
e.g., drosomycin and heliomicin; from plants, e.g., the types A and B;
and the bacteriocins, e.g., acrocin, marcescin, etc. The aim of the
present work was to compile a comprehensive bibliographic review of the
diverse potentially antimicrobial peptides in an effort to systematize
the current knowledge on these substances as a contribution for further
researches. The currently available bibliography does not give a
holistic approach on this subject. The present work intends to show
that the mechanism of defense represented by defensins is promising
from the perspective of its application in the treatment of infectious
diseases in human, animals and plants.
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