Antibiotic resistance is a rising concern in medicine. Over or improper use of antibiotics causes bacteria to become resistant, as they then mutate and pass on their resistance to their daughter cells. Antibiotics often leave bodies in a weakened state since they kill a broad spectrum of bacteria without being able to differentiate between pathogenic and healthy ones. This throws the balance inside your body off and makes you more susceptible to infections. Bacteriocins offer a solution to these issues, as it’s able to target specific bacteria to inhibit.
Bacteriocins:
Bacteriocins are proteins with antimicrobial properties. It is produced by bacteria and promotes the growth of pathogens, usually closely related species. In contrast to traditional antibiotics, bacteriocins are highly selective, some of which reduce the risk of resistance. Generally, bacteriocins recognize and bind to specific components on the surface of target bacteria. Most bacteriocins disrupt the integrity of the bacterial cell membrane by forming pores or channels. This causes cellular contents to leak out, something that causes cell death.
Future:
Going forward bacteriocins would need more funding put into research. Although it’s a promising alternative to antibiotics, producing them can become expensive. Toxicity assays and in vivo testing would also have to be done to ensure that the bacteriocins are effective and safe to use inside humans.
Although the research is promising, there are many challenges å thanks. A major challenge is the scale-up of bacteriocin production to meet clinical or commercial needs. In addition, further studies are needed to evaluate the safety and effects of these bacteriocins in humans. Future studies should focus on determining the preferred routes of bacteriocin delivery and their possible side effects.
Edited by Diya Duggireddy (9/2/24)
References
Riley, Margaret. “The Challenge of Antibiotic Resistance.”
Alessandrini, G., Mercuri, S. R., Martella, A., Ferrara, F., Simonetti, V., Trifirò, C., & Emanuele, E. (2023). Topical application of bacteriocins from Bacillus subtilis promotes Staphylococcus aureus decolonization in acneic skin and improves the clinical appearance of mild-to-moderate acne. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postȩpy Dermatologii i Alergologii, 40(1), 115–118. https://doi.org/10.5114/ada.2022.124108
Bowe, W. P., Filip, J. C., DiRienzo, J. M., Volgina, A., & Margolis, D. J. (2006). Inhibition of propionibacterium acnes by bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (Blis) produced by streptococcus salivarius. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology : JDD, 5(9), 868–870. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2739725/
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