AApeptides as a new class of antimicrobial agents

Org Biomol Chem. 2013 Jul 14;11(26):4283-90. doi: 10.1039/c3ob40444g. Epub 2013 May 31.

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is an increasing public health concern around the world, and is recognized as one of the greatest threats facing humankind in the 21(st) century. Natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small cationic amphiphilic peptides found in virtually all living organisms, and play a key role in the defense against bacterial infections. Compared with conventional antibiotics, which target specific metabolic processes, AMPs are able to adopt globally amphipathic conformations, and kill bacteria through disruption of their membranes. As such, AMPs do not readily induce drug-resistance. However, AMPs are associated with intrinsic drawbacks such as low-to-moderate activity, susceptibility to enzymatic degradation, and inconvenience for optimization. Recently, we have developed a new class of peptidomimetics termed "AApeptides". Such peptide mimics are highly resistant to protease degradation and are straightforward for chemical diversification and development. Our current studies show that AApeptides with globally amphipathic structures can mimic the bactericidal mechanism of AMPs, and display potent and broad-spectrum activity against both Gram-positive and -negative multi-drug-resistant bacteria. In this review, we summarize our current findings of antimicrobial AApeptides, and discuss potential future directions on the development of more potent and specific analogues.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / chemistry
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / pharmacology
  • Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Bacterial Infections / drug therapy*
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptidomimetics / chemistry*
  • Peptidomimetics / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
  • Peptidomimetics