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International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2023Surface contamination by microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria may simultaneously aggravate the biofouling of surfaces and infection of wounds and promote... (Review)
Review
Surface contamination by microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria may simultaneously aggravate the biofouling of surfaces and infection of wounds and promote cross-species transmission and the rapid evolution of microbes in emerging diseases. In addition, natural surface structures with unique anti-biofouling properties may be used as guide templates for the development of functional antimicrobial surfaces. Further, these structure-related antimicrobial surfaces can be categorized into microbicidal and anti-biofouling surfaces. This review introduces the recent advances in the development of microbicidal and anti-biofouling surfaces inspired by natural structures and discusses the related antimicrobial mechanisms, surface topography design, material application, manufacturing techniques, and antimicrobial efficiencies.
Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Biofouling; Bacteria; Surface Properties
PubMed: 36674860
DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021348 -
Nanotechnology Feb 2017The vaginal route is increasingly being considered for both local and systemic delivery of drugs, especially those unsuitable for oral administration. One of the... (Review)
Review
The vaginal route is increasingly being considered for both local and systemic delivery of drugs, especially those unsuitable for oral administration. One of the opportunities offered by this route but yet to be fully utilised is the administration of microbicides. Microbicides have an unprecedented potential for mitigating the global burden from HIV infection as heterosexual contact accounts for most of the new infections occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest prevalent rates. Decades of efforts and massive investment of resources into developing an ideal microbicide have resulted in disappointing outcomes, as attested by several clinical trials assessing the suitability of those formulated so far. The highly complex and multi-level biochemical interactions that must occur among the virus, host cells and the drug for transmission to be halted means that a less sophisticated approach to formulating a microbicide e.g. conventional gels, etc may have to give way for a different formulation approach. Nanotechnology has been identified to offer prospects for fabricating structures with high capability of disrupting HIV transmission. In this review, predominant challenges seen in microbicide development have been highlighted and possible ways of surmounting them suggested. Furthermore, formulations utilising some of these highly promising nanostructures such as liposomes, nanofibres and nanoparticles have been discussed. A perspective on how a tripartite collaboration among governments and their agencies, the pharmaceutical industry and academic scientists to facilitate the development of an ideal microbicide in a timely manner has also been briefly deliberated.
Topics: Administration, Intravaginal; Anti-Infective Agents; Contraceptive Devices, Female; Drug Industry; Female; Government Agencies; HIV Infections; Humans; Liposomes; Nanofibers; Nanoparticles; Nanotechnology; Public-Private Sector Partnerships; Vagina
PubMed: 28032619
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/28/5/052001 -
Theranostics 2020Carbon dots (CDots) have emerged to represent a highly promising new platform for visible/natural light-activated microbicidal agents. In this article, the syntheses,... (Review)
Review
Carbon dots (CDots) have emerged to represent a highly promising new platform for visible/natural light-activated microbicidal agents. In this article, the syntheses, structures, and properties of CDots are highlighted, representative studies on their activities against bacteria, fungi, and viruses reviewed, and the related mechanistic insights discussed. Also highlighted and discussed are the excellent opportunities for potentially extremely broad applications of this new platform, including theranostics uses.
Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Bacteria; Carbon; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Nanostructures; Quantum Dots
PubMed: 31903144
DOI: 10.7150/thno.39863 -
Archiv Der Pharmazie Jun 2022Thiophene, as a member of the group of five-membered heterocycles containing one heteroatom, is one of the simplest heterocyclic systems. Many synthetic strategies allow... (Review)
Review
Thiophene, as a member of the group of five-membered heterocycles containing one heteroatom, is one of the simplest heterocyclic systems. Many synthetic strategies allow the accurate positioning of various functionalities onto the thiophene ring. This review provides a comprehensive, systematic and detailed account of the developments in the field of antimicrobial compounds featuring at least one thiophene ring in their structure, over the last decade.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Heterocyclic Compounds; Structure-Activity Relationship; Thiophenes
PubMed: 35289443
DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202100462 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023Fungal microbes are important in the creation of new drugs, given their unique genetic and metabolic diversity. As one of the most commonly found fungi in nature, spp.... (Review)
Review
Fungal microbes are important in the creation of new drugs, given their unique genetic and metabolic diversity. As one of the most commonly found fungi in nature, spp. has been well regarded as a prolific source of secondary metabolites (SMs) with diverse chemical structures and a broad spectrum of biological properties. However, little information is available concerning their derived SMs with antimicrobial effects. By extensive literature search and data analysis, as many as 185 antimicrobial natural products as SMs had been discovered from strains by the end of 2022. This review first provides a comprehensive analysis of these substances in terms of various antimicrobial effects, including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic. Future prospects for the efficient discovery of new bioactive SMs from strains are also proposed.
Topics: Fusarium; Anti-Infective Agents; Antifungal Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antiviral Agents
PubMed: 37110658
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28083424 -
Toxins Nov 2018Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are crucial effectors of the innate immune system. They provide the first line of defense against a variety of pathogens. AMPs display... (Review)
Review
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are crucial effectors of the innate immune system. They provide the first line of defense against a variety of pathogens. AMPs display synergistic effects with conventional antibiotics, and thus present the potential for combined therapies. Insects are extremely resistant to bacterial infections. Insect AMPs are cationic and comprise less than 100 amino acids. These insect peptides exhibit an antimicrobial effect by disrupting the microbial membrane and do not easily allow microbes to develop drug resistance. Currently, membrane mechanisms underlying the antimicrobial effects of AMPs are proposed by different modes: the barrel-stave mode, toroidal-pore, carpet, and disordered toroidal-pore are the typical modes. Positive charge quantity, hydrophobic property and the secondary structure of the peptide are important for the antibacterial activity of AMPs. At present, several structural families of AMPs from insects are known (defensins, cecropins, drosocins, attacins, diptericins, ponericins, metchnikowins, and melittin), but new AMPs are frequently discovered. We reviewed the biological effects of the major insect AMPs. This review will provide further information that facilitates the study of insect AMPs and shed some light on novel microbicides.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Bacterial Infections; Insecta
PubMed: 30413046
DOI: 10.3390/toxins10110461 -
Pharmacological Reviews Dec 2023Antimicrobial resistance presents us with a potential global crisis as it undermines the abilities of conventional antibiotics to combat pathogenic microbes. The history... (Review)
Review
Antimicrobial resistance presents us with a potential global crisis as it undermines the abilities of conventional antibiotics to combat pathogenic microbes. The history of antimicrobial agents is replete with examples of scaffolds containing halogens. In this review, we discuss the impacts of halogen atoms in various antibiotic types and antimicrobial scaffolds and their modes of action, structure-activity relationships, and the contributions of halogen atoms in antimicrobial activity and drug resistance. Other halogenated molecules, including carbohydrates, peptides, lipids, and polymeric complexes, are also reviewed, and the effects of halogenated scaffolds on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and factors affecting antimicrobial and antivirulence activities are presented. Furthermore, the potential of halogenation to circumvent antimicrobial resistance and rejuvenate impotent antibiotics is addressed. This review provides an overview of the significance of halogenation, the abilities of halogens to interact in biomolecular settings and enhance pharmacological properties, and their potential therapeutic usages in preventing a postantibiotic era. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Antimicrobial resistance and the increasing impotence of antibiotics are critical threats to global health. The roles and importance of halogen atoms in antimicrobial drug scaffolds have been established, but comparatively little is known of their pharmacological impacts on drug resistance and antivirulence activities. This review is the first to extensively evaluate the roles of halogen atoms in various antibiotic classes and pharmacological scaffolds and to provide an overview of their ability to overcome antimicrobial resistance.
Topics: Humans; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Halogens; Halogenation; Structure-Activity Relationship
PubMed: 37845080
DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.123.000863 -
Current HIV/AIDS Reports Aug 2019Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a potent HIV prevention strategy, but uptake of daily oral PrEP remains low. This review covers PrEP agents currently available and... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a potent HIV prevention strategy, but uptake of daily oral PrEP remains low. This review covers PrEP agents currently available and agents and modalities under investigation.
RECENT FINDINGS
Injectable ARV preparations have high acceptability among users but are likely to require adherence to 8-week interval injections. Topical microbicide gels and vaginal rings have underperformed by intention-to-treat analyses in efficacy studies, at least in large part due to challenges with adherence and/or sustained use. However, daily oral TDF-FTC also underperformed in randomized, placebo-controlled trials compared to expectations and subsequent real-world pragmatic use. On-demand (2-1-1 dosing strategy for MSM) and injectable PrEP appear to be acceptable among participants in clinical trials. These modalities are particularly compelling alternatives for individuals who either do not want to take a daily medication (both on-demand and injectable) and/or want to take PrEP without a long commitment (on-demand). Emerging modalities such as vaginal films, microneedles, and subdermal implants have numerous advantages but are still in early stages of development.
Topics: Administration, Topical; Adult; Anti-HIV Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Contraceptive Devices, Female; Emtricitabine; Female; HIV Infections; Homosexuality, Male; Humans; Injections; Male; Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis; Sexual and Gender Minorities; Tenofovir
PubMed: 31222499
DOI: 10.1007/s11904-019-00450-9 -
Chemical Society Reviews Oct 2022Antimicrobial resistance is directly responsible for more deaths per year than either HIV/AIDS or malaria and is predicted to incur a cumulative societal financial... (Review)
Review
Antimicrobial resistance is directly responsible for more deaths per year than either HIV/AIDS or malaria and is predicted to incur a cumulative societal financial burden of at least $100 trillion between 2014 and 2050. Already heralded as one of the greatest threats to human health, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections due to factors including increased global antibiotic/antimicrobial use. Thus an urgent need for novel therapeutics to combat what some have termed the 'silent pandemic' is evident. This review acts as a repository of research and an overview of the novel therapeutic strategies being developed to overcome antimicrobial resistance, with a focus on self-assembling systems and nanoscale materials. The fundamental mechanisms of action, as well as the key advantages and disadvantages of each system are discussed, and attention is drawn to key examples within each field. As a result, this review provides a guide to the further design and development of antimicrobial systems, and outlines the interdisciplinary techniques required to translate this fundamental research towards the clinic.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Bacteria; Humans
PubMed: 36190355
DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00915j -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2022Biomaterials can be used as implantable devices or drug delivery platforms, which have significant impacts on the patient's quality of life [...].
Biomaterials can be used as implantable devices or drug delivery platforms, which have significant impacts on the patient's quality of life [...].
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Biocompatible Materials; Humans; Prostheses and Implants; Quality of Life
PubMed: 36012640
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169377