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Recent Advances in the Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Antibacterial Treatments

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A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 6986

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Christian Quintus Scheckhuber

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Bioingeniería, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey 64849, Mexico
Interests: molecular cell biology; biochemistry; biotechnology and microbiology

Prof. Dr. Angel David Reyes-Figueroa

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Guest Editor

Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas Unidad Monterrey, Apodaca, Mexico
Interests: computational modeling; molecular dynamics simulation; computational biophysics; computational chemistry; molecular modeling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the increased emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria (“superbugs”), which put enormous pressure on health systems worldwide, antibacterial treatments are in more demand than ever. Equally relevant is fundamental research dedicated to elucidating by which mechanisms bacteria acquire multidrug resistance. Although antibiotics can kill many types of bacteria or at least inhibit their growth through “classic” targets, such as cell wall biosynthesis, the DNA replication and protein production of bacteria are slowly but surely being exhausted. New leads and strategies desperately need to be prepared for treating bacterial infections effectively in the years to come.

This Special Issue on “Recent advances in the biochemistry and biotechnology of antibacterial treatments” seeks high-quality works focusing on the latest advances in the development of strategies to combat bacteria. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Natural-product-based antibiotic discovery.
CRISPR-Cas9-based treatments.
Phage therapy.
Elucidation of general bacterial resistance mechanisms.
Research dedicated to unraveling the expression of multidrug resistance phenotypes in particular.
Immunoglobulin therapy.
Antisense RNA-based treatments.
Nanotechnology approaches to combat bacterial infections.

Prof. Dr. Christian Quintus Scheckhuber
Prof. Dr. Angel David Reyes-Figueroa
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. Processes 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 2400 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

multidrug resistance
bacterial infection
antibiotic discovery
healthcare
superbug
infection treatment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 802 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Identification of an Antimicrobial Protease from Acanthamoeba via a Novel Zymogram

by Alvaro de Obeso Fernández del Valle, Luis Javier Melgoza-Ramírez, María Fernanda Esqueda Hernández, Alfonso David Rios-Pérez and Sutherland K. Maciver

Processes 2023, 11(9), 2620; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11092620 - 2 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1080

Abstract

Proteases play a role in different processes for protozoans and for the free-living amoeba Acanthamoeba. Some of these processes are related to pathogenicity and to encystment. In this study we describe the discovery of a protease with antimicrobial activity produced by Acanthamoeba. To identify it, we developed a novel zymogram using bacteria as an in-gel substrate that can help identify proteins capable of bacterial degradation. We used chromatography to isolate the proteases and showed that it quickly degrades in the environment. Additionally, we identified overexpressed proteases during encystment. The study of proteases from Acanthamoeba can serve several purposes including new antimicrobial proteins that the amoeba can use for potentially predigesting prokaryotes. Secondly, it can help with the identification of potential new therapies against Acanthamoeba infection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Antibacterial Treatments)

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Review

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17 pages, 2185 KiB

Open AccessReview

In Vitro and In Silico Studies of Antimicrobial Saponins: A Review

by Jinhui Li and Viviana Monje-Galvan

Processes 2023, 11(10), 2856; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11102856 - 28 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1251

Abstract

Antibiotics are important drugs for the treatment of microbial infections and related diseases. However, due to the abuse of antibiotics, drug resistance has become a serious and urgent problem. The development of new antibiotics is a crucial area of research, and natural products are one of the main sources of novel antibiotics. Among various potential natural antimicrobial products, saponins attracted much attention due to their excellent and broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties. Although there are several reviews on antibacterial saponins, this review is the first to highlight the potential antibacterial mechanisms of saponins from both experimental and molecular simulation perspectives to provide a comprehensive panorama of the field. This review presents the current progress in the development and repurposing of natural-product antibiotics. The focus is centered on antimicrobial saponins discovered in recent years as well as the synergistic effect of some saponins with traditional antibiotics. This review presents experimental and simulation studies in this field to provide a multiscale overview of the antimicrobial mechanisms of saponins and potential directions for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Antibacterial Treatments)

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14 pages, 329 KiB

Open AccessReview

New Alternatives in the Fight against Tuberculosis: Possible Targets for Resistant Mycobacteria

by Eduardo Rodríguez-Bustamante, Saúl Gómez-Manzo, Alvaro De Obeso Fernández del Valle, Roberto Arreguín-Espinosa, Clara Espitia-Pinzón and Eden Rodríguez-Flores

Processes 2023, 11(9), 2793; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11092793 - 20 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1136

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease that remains a global health threat due to the millions of deaths attributed to it each year. The emergence of drug resistance has exacerbated and further increased the challenges in the fight against this illness. Despite the preventive measures using the application of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine, the desired immunization outcome is not as high as expected. Conventional TB treatments exhibit serious limitations, such as adverse effects and prolonged duration, leading to a pressing need for alternative and more effective treatment options. Despite significant efforts, it took nearly four decades for diarylquinoline to become the most recently approved medicine for this disease. In addition, various possibilities, such as the usage of medications used for many other conditions (repurposed drugs), have been explored in order to speed up the process of achieving faster outcomes. Natural compounds derived from various sources (microorganisms, plants, and animals) have emerged as potential candidates for combating TB due to their chemical diversity and their unique modes of action. Finally, efforts towards the generation of novel vaccines have received considerable attention. The goal of this paper was to perform an analysis of the current state of treating drug-resistant TB and to evaluate possible approaches to this complicated challenge. Our focus is centered on highlighting new alternatives that can be used to combat resistant strains, which have potentiated the health crisis that TB represents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Antibacterial Treatments)

23 pages, 2386 KiB

Open AccessReview

Antidiabetic Plants for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Associated Bacterial Infections

by Mario Adrián Tienda-Vázquez, Elda M. Melchor-Martínez, Joel H. Elizondo-Luévano, Roberto Parra-Saldívar, Javier Santiago Lara-Ortiz, Brenda Luna-Sosa and Christian Quintus Scheckhuber

Processes 2023, 11(5), 1299; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11051299 - 22 Apr 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1984

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the metabolic disease with the highest morbidity rates worldwide. The condition is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and chronic inflammation, among other detrimental conditions. These decrease the efficiency of the immune system, leading to an increase in the susceptibility to bacterial infections. Maintaining an optimal blood glucose level is crucial in relation to the treatment of T2DM, because if the level of this carbohydrate is lowered, the risk of infections can be reduced. Currently, this is achieved using synthetic drug treatments that seek to moderately inhibit digestive enzymes (e.g., α-amylase and α-glucosidase), such as acarbose, voglibose, miglitol, etc. However, the use of these compounds also generates unwanted side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, stomach aches and a loss of appetite. Therefore, there is an increasing demand to find effective and safe alternatives for treating T2DM, such as herbal treatments. As a result, there has been a search for possible drugs from plants with both antidiabetic and antibacterial activity. This study presents a review of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of T2DM, secondary effects of the disease such as bacterial infections, and general comprehension of synthetic and natural product treatments to help patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Biochemistry and Biotechnology of Antibacterial Treatments)

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