title: Interaction between antimicrobial peptides and mycobacteria.
abstract: Mycobacteria can cause different severe health problems, including tuberculosis (TB). The treatment of TB with conventional antibiotics is successful, however, the number of multi-drug and extensively-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains increases. Moreover, many classical antimycobacterial antibiotics have severe side effects. Therefore, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) seem to be good candidates for new therapeutic strategies. On the one hand AMPs can be used as a single drug or in combination with conventional antibiotics to directly kill mycobacteria, or on the other hand to act as immunstimulatory agents. This review summarizes the findings on the role of endogenous human AMPs being involved in TB, the antimycobacterial activity of various AMPs, and the molecular modes of action. Most active AMPs interact with the mycobacterial cell envelope and in particular with the mycomembrane and the plasma membrane. The mycomembrane is a very rigid membrane probably leading to a lower activity of the AMPs against mycobacteria as compared to other Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria. For some AMPs also other targets have been identified. Because of the complex environment of intracellular mycobacteria being trapped in the phagosome, within the macrophage, within the granuloma, within the lung, the external administration of AMPs in the latent phase of TB is a challenge. However, in the acute phase the AMPs can attack mycobacteria in a direct way. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antimicrobial peptides edited by Karl Lohner and Kai Hilpert.
authors: Research Center Borstel, Leibniz-Center for Medicine and Biosciences, Priority Area Infections, Division of Biophysics, Parkallee 10, 23845 Borstel, Germany. Electronic address: tgutsmann@fz-borstel.de.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Gutsmann
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D015269:Mycobacterium avium Complex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D000995:Antitubercular Agents
keywords: Antimicrobial peptide; Membrane; Mode of action; Mycobacteria; Tuberculosis