Affiliation:
1. Punjabi University, India
Abstract
Multi-drug resistance among patients suffering from infectious diseases has reached such proportions as to render them ineffective. WHO has to put out advisories time and again as to regulate their use. The presently available antibiotics are targeted at inhibiting vital biochemical pathways of pathogens, like nucleotide, protein, or cell wall synthesis in a very specific manner. Antibiotics have been rendered ineffective due to chemical modification, gene mutation, or transport mechanisms employed by pathogens. The novel approach to this problem can be naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides like bacteriocins produced by food grade bacteria. Pediocins produced by pediococcal strains have been found to inhibit a broad spectrum of pathogens by mechanisms that are robust enough to withstand development of resistance. Thus, these pediocins are attractive molecular precursors to develop novel antimicrobials. However, their application as such poses challenges that can be overcome with developing innovative technologies of chemical modifications and delivery strategies.