Therapeutic Role of Antimicrobial Peptides in Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently become widely publicized because they have the potential to function in alternative therapies as “natural” antibiotics, with their main advantage being a broad spectrum of activity. The potential for antimicrobial peptides to treat diabetes mellitus (DM) has been reported. In diabetes mellitus type I (T1D), cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (CRAMP), cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) and mouse-β- defensin 14 (mBD14) are positively affected. Decreased levels of LL-37 and human neutrophil peptide 1-3 (HNP1-3) have been reported in diabetes mellitus type II (T2D) relative to healthy patients. Moreover, AMPs from amphibians and social wasps have antidiabetic effects. In infections occurring in patients with tuberculosis-diabetes or diabetic foot, granulysin, HNP1, HNP2, HNP3, human beta-defensin 2 (HBD2), and cathelicidins are responsible for pathogen clearance. An interesting alternative is also the use of modified M13 bacteriophages containing encapsulated AMPs genes or phagemids.

Seaweeds as Nutraceutical Elements and Drugs for Diabetes Mellitus: Future Perspectives

“…The seaweeds are one of the potential natural sources from which to find new and advanced therapy to treat and reduce diabetes-related problems, working mostly as glycemic modulators and showing insulinlike activity (Figure 4) [6,9,[12][13][14][15]. Furthermore, this theme is very targeted in various studies and reviews (Table 2) [6,9,34,38,39,[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64].…”

“…However, there is considerable variation in seaweed extract preparation protocols, including the type of solvent and conditions used, making it challenging to compare the optimal enzymatic inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolysis. Supplementation of seaweed extracts and their bioactive compounds enhances glucose uptake in muscle cells by regulating Furthermore, this theme is very targeted in various studies and reviews (Table 2) [6,9,34,38,39,[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64].…”

“…For example, it is not yet clear which specific seaweed peptides are most effective or whether they are safe for long-term use. Clinical trials in humans will be necessary to fully evaluate the safety and efficacy of seaweed peptides as diabetes treatments [61,103]. Nonetheless, the potential of seaweed peptides as a natural and safe alternative to traditional diabetes treatments is exciting.…”

Green Antimicrobials as Therapeutic Agents for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

“…There is a large diversity of known AMPs: more than 5000 antimicrobial peptides have been characterized and synthesized, and this number is expected to increase in the coming years [ 21 ]. Based on their structure, AMPs can be classified into four different groups: α-helical, extended, β-sheet, and cyclic [ 9 , 20 , 22 ].…”

Adipokines as potential biomarkers for type 2 diabetes mellitus in cats

“…Adipokines can be hormones, such as leptin, adiponectin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), or cytokines, such as interleukin 8 (IL-8) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa) and chemokines (73). Among adipokines, leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and omentin, as well as cytokines and chemokines (TNF-a, IL-6), result in chronic inflammation, which may play a key role in the development of insulin resistance and T2DM and increase the risk of obesity-related cardiovascular disease, collectively referred to as the metabolic syndrome (1,2,74,75).…”