Fighting Bacterial Resistance: Modifying the Antimicrobial Peptide Tachyplesin

摘要

Microorganisms develop resistance to many antibiotics over time. This has become a serious health issue as "superbugs" have become more prevalent with increasing antibiotic use. Antimicrobial peptides have bacteriocidal activity through various modes, including pore formation and membrane permeabilization in a detergent-like mechanism, essentially by pulling the membrane apart. The positively charged arginines and lysines of these peptides are attracted to the negatively charged bacterial membrane. Once associated, the hydrophobic amino acids of the peptide can insert into the nonpolar region of the lipid bilayer, forming pores or micelles and destroying the membrane. Human cell membranes are more zwitterionic so the peptides do not affect them to the same extent. Due to the mechanism by which these peptides act, bacteria should not be able to develop resistance to them.