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Advanced Research in Antimicrobial and Antiviral Drugs

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A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pharmacology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 9286

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ivan V. Kulakov

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Guest Editor

Center for Nature-Inspired Engineering, University of Tyumen, 625003 Tyumen, Russia
Interests: organic synthesis; drug discovery; drug design; synthesis

Dr. Alexey Vasilchenko

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Guest Editor

Institute of Biological and Agricultural Biology (X-Bio), Tyumen State University, 625003 Tyumen, Russia
Interests: novel antibiotics; microbial quorum sensing; plant-protection; antimicrobial resistance; subinhibitory effects
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The intensive use of antibiotics over the last decades has caused a significant increase in the antimicrobial resistance of many pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. This was especially noticeable in the treatment of complications after suffering a relatively new and dangerous disease, namely COVID-19. For example, currently, there is a rapid increase in diseases with deep mycoses, which are extremely severe and cause high mortality rates. Among the pathogens with high resistance, bacteria and fungi require special attention, the latter of which are becoming increasingly drug resistant. Furthermore, some fungi, formerly known as typical saprotrophs (microorganisms that feed on dead remains), are pathogenic for humans. The number of fungi with resistance to all antifungal drugs is also growing, especially against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. As mentioned above, the main problem of resistance, despite the negative role of the pandemic, has its origin in the long-time high-level of antibiotics use worldwide, which is increasing every year. For instance, the use of antibiotics increased by 65% from 2000 to 2015, which is largely due to increased access to drugs in developing countries.

Antibiotic drugs are indispensable in the treatment of infectious diseases, as well as in the prevention of weakened immunity. However, due to the irrational and intensive use of such drugs, global problems regarding drug-resistant pathogens that have adapted to survive in the presence of antibiotics are increasing. On a daily basis, doctors find infections that do not respond to available antimicrobial treatment. The development of improved disease treatment against resistant strains is much more difficult and expensive, especially in relation to pan-resistant microbes (resistant to all drugs found), and desired healing effects may be not achieved.

As the available antimicrobials are losing their effectiveness and the development of new drugs has slowed, many infections are again threatening the lives of people globally, while medical procedures are becoming more risky. In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified the problem of antimicrobial resistance as one of ten possible serious threats to public health. That is why the search for new antimicrobial drugs is very relevant, especially those based on new heterocyclic systems that have not been explicitly described before and have not been studied biologically.

Prof. Dr. Ivan V. Kulakov
Dr. Alexey Vasilchenko
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Current Issues in Molecular Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

antibacterial activity
antituberculosis activity
antiviral activity
biologically active compounds
nitrogen- and sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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28 pages, 8576 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Vitro and In Silico Antiviral Activity of Di-Halogenated Compounds Derived from L-Tyrosine against Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1)

by Maria S. Serna-Arbeláez, Valentina García-Cárcamo, Daniel S. Rincón-Tabares, Diego Guerra, Vanessa Loaiza-Cano, Marlen Martinez-Gutierrez, Jaime A. Pereañez, Manuel Pastrana-Restrepo, Elkin Galeano and Wildeman Zapata

Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45(10), 8173-8200; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45100516 - 9 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1360

Abstract

HIV-1 infection is considered one of the major public health problems worldwide. Due to the limited access to antiretroviral therapy, the associated side effects, and the resistance that the virus can generate, it has become necessary to continue the development of new antiviral agents. The study aimed to identify potential antiviral agents for HIV-1 by evaluating the in vitro and in silico activity of 16 synthetic di-halogenated compounds derived from L-Tyrosine. The compounds were tested for cytotoxicity, which was determined using MTT, and a combined antiviral screening strategy (pre- and post-infection treatment) was performed against R5 and X4 strains of HIV-1. The most promising compounds were evaluated against a pseudotyped virus (HIV-GFP-VSV-G), and the effectiveness of these compounds was measured through GFP flow cytometry. Also, the antiviral effect of these compounds was evaluated in PBMCs using flow cytometry and ELISA for p24. The TODB-2M, TODC-2M, TODC-3M, and YDC-3M compounds showed low toxicity and significant inhibitory activity against HIV-1. In silico docking and molecular dynamics assays suggest that the compounds’ antiviral activity may be due to interaction with reverse transcriptase, viral protease, or envelope gp120. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in Antimicrobial and Antiviral Drugs)

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16 pages, 2646 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prokaryotic Expression, Purification, and Antibacterial Activity of the Hepcidin Peptide of Crescent Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus cinctus)

by Peixin Wang, Zhongjing Lin, Shaoling Lin, Baodong Zheng, Yi Zhang and Jiamiao Hu

Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45(9), 7212-7227; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45090456 - 31 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1047

Abstract

The hepcidin peptide of crescent sweetlips (Plectorhinchus cinctus) is a cysteine-rich, cationic antimicrobial peptide that plays a crucial role in the innate immune system’s defense against invading microbes. The aim of this study was to identify the optimal parameters for prokaryotic expression and purification of this hepcidin peptide and characterize its antibacterial activity. The recombinant hepcidin peptides were expressed in Escherichia coli strain Arctic Express (DE3), with culture and induction conditions optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The obtained hepcidin peptides were then purified before tag cleavage, and their antibacterial activity was determined. The obtained results revealed that induction temperature had the most significant impact on the production of soluble recombinant peptides. The optimum induction conditions were determined to be an isopropylthio-β-galactoside (IPTG) concentration of 0.21 mmol/L, induction temperature of 18.81 °C, and an induction time of 16.01 h. Subsequently, the recombinant hepcidin peptide was successfully purified using Ni-IDA affinity chromatography followed by SUMO protease cleavage. The obtained hepcidin peptide (without His-SUMO tag) demonstrated strong antimicrobial activity in vitro against V. parahaemolyticus, E. coli, and S. aureus. The results showed prokaryotic (E. coli) expression is a feasible way to produce the hepcidin peptide of crescent sweetlips in a cost-effective way, which has great potential to be used as an antimicrobial agent in aquaculture. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in Antimicrobial and Antiviral Drugs)

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17 pages, 3007 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phenotypic Characterization and Comparative Genomic Analyses of Mycobacteriophage WIVsmall as A New Member Assigned to F1 Subcluster

by Xinge Guo, Jing Zhang, Yuhan Wang, Fang Zhou, Qiming Li and Tieshan Teng

Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45(8), 6432-6448; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45080406 - 3 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1067

Abstract

In this study, we conducted the morphological observation, biological and genomic characterization, evolutionary analysis, comparative genomics description, and proteome identification of a recently isolated mycobacteriophage, WIVsmall. Morphologically, WIVsmall is classified as a member of the Siphoviridae family, characterized by a flexible tail, measuring approximately 212 nm in length. The double-stranded phage genome DNA of WIVsmall spans 53,359 base pairs, and exhibits a G + C content of 61.01%. The genome of WIVsmall comprises 103 protein-coding genes, while no tRNA genes were detected. The genome annotation unveiled the presence of functional gene clusters responsible for mycobacteriophage assembly and maturation, replication, cell lysis, and functional protein synthesis. Based on the analysis of the phylogenetic tree, the genome of WIVsmall was classified as belonging to subgroup F1. A comparative genomics analysis indicated that the WIVsmall genome exhibited the highest similarity to the phage SG4, with a percentage of 64%. The single-step growth curve analysis of WIVsmall revealed a latent period of 120 min, and an outbreak period of 200 min. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in Antimicrobial and Antiviral Drugs)

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Review

Jump to: Research

30 pages, 7511 KiB

Open AccessReview

Cationic Porphyrins as Antimicrobial and Antiviral Agents in Photodynamic Therapy

by Inga O. Savelyeva, Kseniya A. Zhdanova, Margarita A. Gradova, Oleg V. Gradov and Natal’ya A. Bragina

Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45(12), 9793-9822; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45120612 - 6 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1145

Abstract

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (APDT) has received a great deal of attention due to its unique ability to kill all currently known classes of microorganisms. To date, infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses are one of the main sources of high mortality, mass epidemics and global pandemics among humans. Every year, the emergence of three to four previously unknown species of viruses dangerous to humans is recorded, totaling more than 2/3 of all newly discovered human pathogens. The emergence of bacteria with multidrug resistance leads to the rapid obsolescence of antibiotics and the need to create new types of antibiotics. From this point of view, photodynamic inactivation of viruses and bacteria is of particular interest. This review summarizes the most relevant mechanisms of antiviral and antibacterial action of APDT, molecular targets and correlation between the structure of cationic porphyrins and their photodynamic activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in Antimicrobial and Antiviral Drugs)

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29 pages, 9460 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in Molecular Mechanisms of Nucleoside Antivirals

by Polina N. Kamzeeva, Andrey V. Aralov, Vera A. Alferova and Vladimir A. Korshun

Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45(8), 6851-6879; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45080433 - 17 Aug 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2298

Abstract

The search for new drugs has been greatly accelerated by the emergence of new viruses and drug-resistant strains of known pathogens. Nucleoside analogues (NAs) are a prospective class of antivirals due to known safety profiles, which are important for rapid repurposing in the fight against emerging pathogens. Recent improvements in research methods have revealed new unexpected details in the mechanisms of action of NAs that can pave the way for new approaches for the further development of effective drugs. This review accounts advanced techniques in viral polymerase targeting, new viral and host enzyme targeting approaches, and prodrug-based strategies for the development of antiviral NAs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in Antimicrobial and Antiviral Drugs)

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31 pages, 4129 KiB

Open AccessReview

Plant Antimicrobial Peptides: Insights into Structure-Function Relationships for Practical Applications

by Marina P. Slezina and Tatyana I. Odintsova

Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45(4), 3674-3704; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45040239 - 21 Apr 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1765

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short polypeptide molecules produced by multicellular organisms that are involved in host defense and microbiome preservation. In recent years, AMPs have attracted attention as novel drug candidates. However, their successful use requires detailed knowledge of the mode of action and identification of the determinants of biological activity. In this review, we focused on structure-function relationships in the thionins, α-hairpinins, hevein-like peptides, and the unique Ib-AMP peptides isolated from Impatiens balsamina. We summarized the available data on the amino acid sequences and 3D structure of peptides, their biosynthesis, and their biological activity. Special attention was paid to the determination of residues that play a key role in the activity and the identification of the minimal active cores. We have shown that even subtle changes in amino acid sequences can affect the biological activity of AMPs, which opens up the possibility of creating molecules with improved properties, better therapeutic efficacy, and cheaper large-scale production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in Antimicrobial and Antiviral Drugs)

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