BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Regarding the importance of finding new antibacterial drugs, screening of plants as a promising resource are now conducted worldwide. In this study, we report the application of a simple previously described method for screening of different plant seeds in order to find the best resources of plant antimicrobial peptides. MATERIALS AND METHODS Total water soluble prot...

The Drosophila innate immune system discriminates between pathogens and responds by inducing the expression of specific antimicrobial peptide-encoding genes through distinct signaling cascades. Fungal infection activates NF-kappaB-like transcription factors via the Toll pathway, which also regulates innate immune responses in mammals. The pathways that mediate antibacterial defenses, however, a...

The antibacterial activities of three new penems with 4-hydroxyprolinamide, 1-prolinamide and N-methyl-N-2-propionamide substituents, respectively, in position 2 and of their stereoisomers were examined against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All substitutes conferred a broad antibacterial spectrum on the penem moi...

The in vitro activity of S-6123, a synthetic antimicrobial compound of the new oxazolidinone series, was compared with those of other orally administered agents against 328 clinical isolates. The compound was moderately active (MICs, 16 to 64 micrograms/ml) against 90% of staphylococci, nonenterococcal streptococci, and Haemophilus influenzae, including strains resistant to beta-lactam antibiot...

Marine biofunctional peptides are protein molecules that promote health by blocking certain harmful chemical pathways in the human body, such as the laying down of cholesterol in blood vessels. Marine bivalves are considered one such rich source of these peptides and bioactive compounds. These, bioactive peptides possess various biological activities such as antibacterial, antioxidant, anticoag...

Cigarette smoking is associated with increased inflammation and defective antibacterial responses in the airways. Interestingly, vitamin D has been shown to suppress inflammation and to improve antibacterial defense. However, it is currently unknown whether vitamin D may modulate inflammation and antibacterial defects in human cigarette smoke (CS)-exposed airways. To explore these unresolved is...

A few biochemical activities of SCE-963, a new cephalosporin with potent antibacterial activities against gram-negative bacteria, were compared with those of several currently available cephalosporins against strains of Escherichia coli K-12. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of SCE-963, cefazolin, cephaloridine, cephalothin, and cephalexin were 0.2, 1.56, 3.13, 12.5, and 25 mug/ml, respect...