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How Nature Morphs Peptide Scaffolds into Antibiotics
Author(s) -
Nolan Elizabeth M.,
Walsh Christopher T.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.200800438
Subject(s) - antibiotics , peptide , penicillin , protease , vancomycin , computational biology , microbiology and biotechnology , combinatorial chemistry , chemistry , biology , bacteria , biochemistry , staphylococcus aureus , genetics , enzyme
The conventional notion that peptides are poor candidates for orally available drugs because of protease‐sensitive peptide bonds, intrinsic hydrophilicity, and ionic charges contrasts with the diversity of antibiotic natural products with peptide‐based frameworks that are synthesized and utilized by Nature. Several of these antibiotics, including penicillin and vancomycin, are employed to treat bacterial infections in humans and have been best‐selling therapeutics for decades. Others might provide new platforms for the design of novel therapeutics to combat emerging antibiotic‐resistant bacterial pathogens.