Abstract
The emergence of bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics is of great concern in modern medicine because it renders ineffectiveness of the current empirical antibiotic therapies. Infections caused by vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) and vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) strains represent a serious threat to global health due to their considerable morbidity and mortality rates. Therefore, there is an urgent need of research and development of new antimicrobial alternatives against these bacteria. In this context, the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is considered a promising alternative therapeutic strategy to control resistant strains. Therefore, a wide number of natural, artificial, and synthetic AMPs have been evaluated against VRSA and VISA strains, with great potential for clinical application. In this regard, we aimed to present a comprehensive and systematic review of research findings on AMPs that have shown antibacterial activity against vancomycin-resistant and vancomycin-intermediate resistant strains and clinical isolates of S. aureus, discussing their classification and origin, physicochemical and structural characteristics, and possible action mechanisms. This is the first review that includes all peptides that have shown antibacterial activity against VRSA and VISA strains exclusively.
Highlights
The emergence of bacterial resistance (BR) is one of the most critical public health concerns in recent years
BR causes high morbidity and mortality rates, significant increase in healthcare costs, and use of antibacterial agents with increased host toxicity [3,4]. Both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria can be resistant to conventional antibiotics, which limits the number of antimicrobial agents that can be effectively used against these bacterial groups [5]
antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have a great potential in the control of bacteria susceptible and resistant to conventional antibiotics that are responsible for infections affecting human health
Summary
The emergence of bacterial resistance (BR) is one of the most critical public health concerns in recent years. S. aureus can have a wide and diverse variety of resistance mechanisms, hindering their control with the use of currently available conventional antibiotics for the treatment of the infections caused by them [12] In view of this situation, it is crucial to search and develop new antimicrobial alternatives to combat resistant S. aureus strains, especially VRSA strains, which cause significant concern in terms of global public health [7]. AMPs have a wide range of action mechanisms and can act on different molecular targets within the bacterial cells, for example, by inducing damage to the bacterial membrane or by inhibiting the synthesis of proteins, enzymes, and nucleic acids at the cytoplasmic level, as well as affecting protein folding [25,26,27] Because of these characteristics, AMPs have a great potential in the control of bacteria susceptible and resistant to conventional antibiotics that are responsible for infections affecting human health. This is the first review that collects and classifies all peptides that have shown antibacterial activity against VRSA and VISA strains exclusively
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