AMP's as a potential source of novel antibiotics Dissertation Writing (Dissertation Sample)

AMP's as a Potential Source of Novel Antibiotics
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AMPs as a Potential Source of Novel Antibiotics
Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs)
Mahlapuu et al. (2016) define antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as short and positively charged peptides that are present in different forms of life, ranging from micro-organisms to human beings. Alternatively, Kang et al. (2016) describe AMPs as host defence peptides (HDPs), which present a defence mechanism for all living organisms against infections caused by bacteria, fungi and viruses. The researchers state that the innate role of AMPs is to protect the host cell and contribute to the development of the first living cells into complex multi-cellular organisms. Ageitos et al. (2017) support the assertion by Kang et al. (2016), as they state that AMPs are biological weapons used by living organisms to ensure their survival. Additionally, Kim et al. (2015) reveal that another role of AMPs is that they influence intracellular processes like wound healing reactions, angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, inflammatory responses and cell signalling, which make AMPs be potential therapeutic agents. A majority of AMPs can directly destroy pathogens, while others indirectly defeat pathogens by modifying the host immune system (Kang et al., 2016; Mahlapuu et al., 2016). Almost all AMPs exhibit antimicrobial activities, whereas their abundance in all micro-organisms helps maintain host immunity.