Antimicrobial Peptide
A peptide that kills or inhibits microorganisms. Approved antimicrobial peptides include vancomycin, daptomycin, colistin, polymyxin B, bacitracin, dalbavancin, oritavancin, telavancin, and gramicidin. Rising antibiotic resistance has renewed interest in peptide-based antimicrobials.
Technical Context
Approved antimicrobial peptides span multiple structural classes and mechanisms: glycopeptides (vancomycin, telavancin, dalbavancin, oritavancin — inhibit cell wall synthesis by binding D-Ala-D-Ala), lipopeptides (daptomycin — calcium-dependent membrane disruption; colistin/polymyxin B — electrostatic disruption of gram-negative outer membrane), cyclic peptides (bacitracin — interferes with undecaprenyl pyrophosphate recycling in cell wall synthesis), linear peptides (gramicidin — forms ion channels in bacterial membranes), and echinocandin-related (rezafungin — inhibits fungal beta-1,3-glucan synthase). The rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MRSA, VRE, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae) has renewed interest in peptide antibiotics. Novel AMP development strategies include: peptide engineering for improved selectivity, combination therapy approaches, and anti-biofilm peptides.