About this Research Topic
The overuse of antibiotics leads to the rapid increase of microbial antibiotic resistance, and the emergence of superbugs means that some traditional antibiotics will be ineffective. Worse still, because of unfavorable economic factors and regulatory challenges in gaining approval, the development of novel antibacterial agents has slowed down significantly. Thus, new antibacterial agents critically need to be researched and developed to address the challenge of inevitable bacterial resistance.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising antibiotic alternatives as they have shown antimicrobial activity against a wide range of bacterial species, including multi-resistant bacteria. Numerous plant extracts have also been proven to have antibacterial properties and inhibit bacterial virulence factors (such as quorum sensing, biofilm formation, motility, toxins) even at concentrations below minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Beyond those mentioned above, more valuable substances and treatment strategies are yet to be developed to combat the threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
This research topic focuses on the bioprospection and structural characterization of novel antibiotic alternatives, and explores their potential biological functions and antimicrobial mechanisms. The insights on the efficacy of antibiotic alternatives in vivo and their potential immunomodulatory effects are also of interest to this topic. Additionally, multi-drug combination therapy has been recognized as an effective strategy to improve the therapeutic effect and limit the development of resistance, thus advances in these studies regarding multi-drug combination therapy or other therapeutic strategy for bacterial infections are also welcome.
This Research Topic welcomes potential themes to include but are not limited to the following:
• To develop new molecular design strategies for stable and effective antimicrobial peptides, and further study their structure, function and molecular mechanisms.
• The development and molecular mechanisms of novel plant extracts with bactericidal or bacteriostatic activity.
• The development of new substances, therapeutic strategies and approaches to combat multiple drug-resistant bacterial infections.
• Potential therapeutic effects and immunomodulatory property of antibiotic alternatives in intestinal bacterial infection models.
• Multi-omics to analyze the possible complex interaction mechanisms of antibiotic alternatives in vivo.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising antibiotic alternatives as they have shown antimicrobial activity against a wide range of bacterial species, including multi-resistant bacteria. Numerous plant extracts have also been proven to have antibacterial properties and inhibit bacterial virulence factors (such as quorum sensing, biofilm formation, motility, toxins) even at concentrations below minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Beyond those mentioned above, more valuable substances and treatment strategies are yet to be developed to combat the threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
This research topic focuses on the bioprospection and structural characterization of novel antibiotic alternatives, and explores their potential biological functions and antimicrobial mechanisms. The insights on the efficacy of antibiotic alternatives in vivo and their potential immunomodulatory effects are also of interest to this topic. Additionally, multi-drug combination therapy has been recognized as an effective strategy to improve the therapeutic effect and limit the development of resistance, thus advances in these studies regarding multi-drug combination therapy or other therapeutic strategy for bacterial infections are also welcome.
This Research Topic welcomes potential themes to include but are not limited to the following:
• To develop new molecular design strategies for stable and effective antimicrobial peptides, and further study their structure, function and molecular mechanisms.
• The development and molecular mechanisms of novel plant extracts with bactericidal or bacteriostatic activity.
• The development of new substances, therapeutic strategies and approaches to combat multiple drug-resistant bacterial infections.
• Potential therapeutic effects and immunomodulatory property of antibiotic alternatives in intestinal bacterial infection models.
• Multi-omics to analyze the possible complex interaction mechanisms of antibiotic alternatives in vivo.
Keywords: antibiotic-resistance, antibiotic alternatives, antimicrobial peptides, plant extracts, molecular mechanisms, in vivo
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
