Marine Antimicrobial Peptides and Marine Compounds for Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2022) | Viewed by 9479

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, Chungnam, Korea
Interests: anticandidal activity; antimicrobial peptides; octominin

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A rapid development in the discovery of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) can be seen, which are used alone or in combination with antibiotics for synergetic and efficient action against microbial infections. AMPs are short-chain polypeptides with less than 50 amino acids and are amphipathic in nature.  Most AMPs are neither limited to a single pathogen nor to a single mode of antimicrobial action, and they show multiple modes of action, such as disruption of membrane and metabolic inhibition of DNA, RNA, protein synthesis, and bacterial wall synthesis. Apart from acting as antimicrobial agents, AMPs show different functions, such as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, and detoxification effects. Hence, it is challenging for pathogens to develop resistance against AMPs. For these reasons, AMPs could be used to solve the global problem of antibiotic-resistant microbial infections.

Marine AMPs are considered as one of the most promising molecular classes for the development of alternatives to antibiotics. Marine invertebrates, fish and microorganisms are the sources of discovery of novel antimicrobial peptides with unique structure and function. At present, many antimicrobial peptides have been isolated from Marine invertebrates, including cnidarians, mollusks, annelids, crustaceans, echinoderms and protozoans, as well as vertebrate fish.

In this Special Issue, we are aiming to collect original research papers that focusing on isolation, purification, synthesis of Marine-derived AMPs and other antibacterial compounds from marine organism. New discoveries of marine AMPs will be particularly exciting to readers and editors, and we are very grateful for your submission. We hope that this special issue can serve as a platform for the exchange of research results, and hope that the included research articles will help promote the development and application of marine AMPs.

Dr. Ilson Whang
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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16 pages, 6655 KiB  
Article
Functional Characterization, Antimicrobial Effects, and Potential Antibacterial Mechanisms of NpHM4, a Derived Peptide of Nautilus pompilius Hemocyanin
by Chun Yuan, Xiaoying Zheng, Kunna Liu, Wenbin Yuan, Yang Zhang, Fan Mao and Yongbo Bao
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(7), 459; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20070459 - 16 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2374
Abstract
Hemocyanins present in the hemolymph of invertebrates are multifunctional proteins that are responsible for oxygen transport and play crucial roles in the immune system. They have also been identified as a source of antimicrobial peptides during infection in mollusks. Hemocyanin has also been [...] Read more.
Hemocyanins present in the hemolymph of invertebrates are multifunctional proteins that are responsible for oxygen transport and play crucial roles in the immune system. They have also been identified as a source of antimicrobial peptides during infection in mollusks. Hemocyanin has also been identified in the cephalopod ancestor Nautilus, but antimicrobial peptides derived from the hemocyanin of Nautilus pompilius have not been reported. Here, the bactericidal activity of six predicted peptides from N. pompilius hemocyanin and seven mutant peptides was analyzed. Among those peptides, a mutant peptide with 15 amino acids (1RVFAGFLRHGIKRSR15), NpHM4, showed relatively high antibacterial activity. NpHM4 was determined to have typical antimicrobial peptide characteristics, including a positive charge (+5.25) and a high hydrophobic residue ratio (40%), and it was predicted to form an alpha-helical structure. In addition, NpHM4 exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria (MBC = 30 μM for Vibrio alginolyticus), with no cytotoxicity to mammalian cells even at a high concentration of 180 µM. Upon contact with V. alginolyticus cells, we confirmed that the bactericidal activity of NpHM4 was coupled with membrane permeabilization, which was further confirmed via ultrastructural images using a scanning electron microscope. Therefore, our study provides a rationalization for the development and optimization of antimicrobial peptide from the cephalopod ancestor Nautilus, paving the way for future novel AMP development with broad applications. Full article
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51 pages, 10021 KiB  
Review
Marine Cyclic Peptides: Antimicrobial Activity and Synthetic Strategies
by Ricardo Ribeiro, Eugénia Pinto, Carla Fernandes and Emília Sousa
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(6), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20060397 - 15 Jun 2022
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 6568
Abstract
Oceans are a rich source of structurally unique bioactive compounds from the perspective of potential therapeutic agents. Marine peptides are a particularly interesting group of secondary metabolites because of their chemistry and wide range of biological activities. Among them, cyclic peptides exhibit a [...] Read more.
Oceans are a rich source of structurally unique bioactive compounds from the perspective of potential therapeutic agents. Marine peptides are a particularly interesting group of secondary metabolites because of their chemistry and wide range of biological activities. Among them, cyclic peptides exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities, including against bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses. Moreover, there are several examples of marine cyclic peptides revealing interesting antimicrobial activities against numerous drug-resistant bacteria and fungi, making these compounds a very promising resource in the search for novel antimicrobial agents to revert multidrug-resistance. This review summarizes 174 marine cyclic peptides with antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, or antiviral properties. These natural products were categorized according to their sources—sponges, mollusks, crustaceans, crabs, marine bacteria, and fungi—and chemical structure—cyclic peptides and depsipeptides. The antimicrobial activities, including against drug-resistant microorganisms, unusual structural characteristics, and hits more advanced in (pre)clinical studies, are highlighted. Nocathiacins I–III (9193), unnarmicins A (114) and C (115), sclerotides A (160) and B (161), and plitidepsin (174) can be highlighted considering not only their high antimicrobial potency in vitro, but also for their promising in vivo results. Marine cyclic peptides are also interesting models for molecular modifications and/or total synthesis to obtain more potent compounds, with improved properties and in higher quantity. Solid-phase Fmoc- and Boc-protection chemistry is the major synthetic strategy to obtain marine cyclic peptides with antimicrobial properties, and key examples are presented guiding microbiologist and medicinal chemists to the discovery of new antimicrobial drug candidates from marine sources. Full article
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