title: Antimicrobial Dendrimeric Peptides: Structure, Activity and New Therapeutic Applications.
abstract: Microbial resistance to conventional antibiotics is one of the most outstanding medical and scientific challenges of our times. Despite the recognised need for new anti-infective agents, however, very few new drugs have been brought to the market and to the clinic in the last three decades. This review highlights the properties of a new class of antibiotics, namely dendrimeric peptides. These intriguing novel compounds, generally made of multiple peptidic sequences linked to an inner branched core, display an array of antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activities, usually coupled to low haemolytic activity. In addition, several peptides synthesized in oligobranched form proved to be promising tools for the selective treatment of cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato I-09042, CA, Italy. scorciapino@unica.it.
authors.forename: Mariano A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Scorciapino
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato I-09042, CA, Italy. ilaria.serra18@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London SE1 9NH, UK. giorgia.manzo@tiscali.it.
authors.forename: Giorgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato I-09042, CA, Italy. rinaldi@unica.it.
authors.forename: Andrea C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D000067558:Biological Mimicry; D050091:Dendrimers / Q000737:chemistry*; D015195:Drug Design; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D050091:Dendrimers
keywords: NMR; antifungal; antimicrobial peptides; antitumor; antiviral; biofilms; biophysical methods; dendrimers; model membranes; molecular dynamics; peptidomimetics