TY - JOUR
T1 - Bacterial cell wall compounds as promising targets of antimicrobial agents II. Immunological and clinical aspects
AU - Schuerholz, Tobias
AU - Dömming, Sabine
AU - Hornef, Mathias
AU - Dupont, Aline
AU - Kowalski, Ina
AU - Kaconis, Yani
AU - Heinbockel, Lena
AU - Andrä, Jörg
AU - Garidel, Patrick
AU - Gutsmann, Thomas
AU - David, Sunil
AU - Sánchez-Gómez, Susana
AU - de Tejada, Guillermo Martinez
AU - Brandenburg, Klaus
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - The bacterial cell wall represents the primary target for antimicrobial agents. Microbial destruction is accompanied by the release of potent immunostimulatory membrane constituents. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria release a variety of lipoproteins and peptidoglycan fragments. Gram-positive bacteria additionally provide lipoteichoic acids, whereas Gram-negative bacteria also release lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin), essential component of the outer leaflet of the bacterial cell wall and one of the most potent immunostimulatory molecules known. Immune activation therefore can be considered as an adverse effect of antimicrobial destruction and killing during anti-infective treatment. In contrast to antibiotics, the use of cationic amphiphilic antimicrobial peptides allows both effective bacterial killing and inhibition of the immunostimulatory effect of the released bacterial membrane constituents. The administration of antimicrobial peptides alone or in combination with antibiotic agents thus represents a novel strategy in the antiinfective treatment with potentially important beneficial aspects. Here, data are presented which describe immunological and clinical aspects of the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as therapeutic agents to treat bacterial infection and neutralize the immunostimulatory activity of released cell wall constituents.
AB - The bacterial cell wall represents the primary target for antimicrobial agents. Microbial destruction is accompanied by the release of potent immunostimulatory membrane constituents. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria release a variety of lipoproteins and peptidoglycan fragments. Gram-positive bacteria additionally provide lipoteichoic acids, whereas Gram-negative bacteria also release lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin), essential component of the outer leaflet of the bacterial cell wall and one of the most potent immunostimulatory molecules known. Immune activation therefore can be considered as an adverse effect of antimicrobial destruction and killing during anti-infective treatment. In contrast to antibiotics, the use of cationic amphiphilic antimicrobial peptides allows both effective bacterial killing and inhibition of the immunostimulatory effect of the released bacterial membrane constituents. The administration of antimicrobial peptides alone or in combination with antibiotic agents thus represents a novel strategy in the antiinfective treatment with potentially important beneficial aspects. Here, data are presented which describe immunological and clinical aspects of the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as therapeutic agents to treat bacterial infection and neutralize the immunostimulatory activity of released cell wall constituents.
KW - Antimicrobial agents
KW - Bacterial cell wall
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84864550836&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84864550836&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2174/138945012802002438
DO - 10.2174/138945012802002438
M3 - Article
C2 - 22664073
AN - SCOPUS:84864550836
SN - 1389-4501
VL - 13
SP - 1131
EP - 1137
JO - Current Drug Targets
JF - Current Drug Targets
IS - 9
ER -