What is an antimicrobial peptide?
Antimicrobial peptide or host defensive peptide is part of a congenital immune system present from birth to protect the body from infection. Structurally, it is a small molecule consisting of an amino acid chain, of which the proteins are made. There are a number of different types of antimicrobial peptide and are found in all living creatures where they counteract microbes such as bacteria and viruses. Once more microorganisms become resistant to antibiotics, it is assumed that the use of antimicrobial peptides could provide alternative forms of treatment. Potentially, their own peptides could be performed to treat infections, increase immune response and neutralization of toxins produced by microbes. More than 800 different types of antimicrobial peptides have been recognized. According to their overall shape, they were divided into four main classes. The-sizes are known as A-Helical, β-list, prolonged and loop peptides. The most common types of human peptides are histatins that withThey occur in saliva, and defensins and crates, which are produced by the cells of the immune system.
In most cases, the antimicrobial peptide attacks the microorganism by changing the cell membrane. The holes are created in the membrane that allow the cell to flow important substances such as nutrients. Although the details are not fully understood, it is assumed that there are a number of different mechanisms changing membranes used by different types of peptides.
Research involving synthetic versions of histatines has shown that they can act against yeast known as Candida Albicans. This suggests that artificial histatins could be used to treat yeast infection known as candidiasis that affects the mouth of patients with HIV. Another research suggests this could be effective in the treatment of some bacterial infections that occur in burns and injuries.
thousands of different types of antimicrobial peptide wouldThey could be made to treat various infections, but have not yet been developed and trial. One problem was that in clinical trials involving patients, antimicrobial peptides often seem less effective than they seem to be tested in the laboratory. Another disadvantage is that synthetic antimicrobial peptides are expensive to produce. The advantages of the development of antimicrobial peptides as drugs include that they are not harmful to human cells and are not associated with resistance development as antibiotics.