Anti-Staphylococcus aureus effects of natural antimicrobial peptides and the underlying mechanisms.

ABSTRACT

Staphylococcus aureus can cause localized infections such as abscesses and pneumonia, as well as systemic infections such as bacteremia and sepsis. Especially, methicillin-resistant S. aureus often presents multidrug resistance, which becomes a major clinical challenge. One of the most common reasons for methicillin-resistant S. aureus antibiotic resistance is the presence of biofilms. Natural antimicrobial peptides derived from different species have shown effectiveness in combating S. aureus biofilms. In this review, we summarize the inhibitory activity of antimicrobial peptides against S. aureus planktonic cells and biofilms. We also summarize the possible inhibitory mechanisms, involving cell adhesion inhibition, membrane fracture, biofilm disruption and DNA disruption. We believe this can provide the basis for further research against S. aureus biofilm-associated infections.

When a bacterial infection is treated, sometimes not all bacteria are killed. This is because they have ways to evade the treatment's action. Therefore, it is important to develop new drugs, although this is difficult, expensive and time-consuming. This paper summarizes new types of natural antimicrobials that could be used against bacteria, how they work and how well.