Antibiotic peptides

2001/07/26 Roa Zubia, Guillermo - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Mikrobiologia
• Medikuntza

Penicillin and this type of antibiotics represent a breakthrough in the XX. From the mid-twentieth century. Today, however, we are in a critical situation in the fight against bacteria, which have learned to combat these ‘classic’ antibiotics.

Penicillin is a natural antibiotic of some fungi. The cells also use natural antibiotics, some peptides. Peptides are small proteins. Now scientists try to synthesize artificial antibiotics through these peptides, as they did in their day with penicillin.

One of the problems that peptides have is mobility and if they are very large they are not easy to transport. Therefore, researchers have begun to use small peptides that have also given them ring shape. This form gives stability to the molecule and increases resistance to bacteria.

Success of the first sessions with mouse and resistance to infections. If these new substances are effective, they can radically change the strategy of antibiotics and represents a breakthrough in the fight against bacteria.