Lucifensins, the Insect Defensins of Biomedical Importance: The Story behind Maggot Therapy.

ABSTRACT: Defensins are the most widespread antimicrobial peptides characterised in insects. These cyclic peptides, 4-6 kDa in size, are folded into α-helical/β-sheet mixed structures and have a common conserved motif of three intramolecular disulfide bridges with a Cys1-Cys4, Cys2-Cys5 and Cys3-Cys6 connectivity. They have the ability to kill especially Gram-positive bacteria and some fungi, but Gram-negative bacteria are more resistant against them. Among them are the medicinally important compounds lucifensin and lucifensin II, which have recently been identified in the medicinal larvae of the blowflies Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina, respectively. These defensins contribute to wound healing during a procedure known as maggot debridement therapy (MDT) which is routinely used at hospitals wo

SUBMITTER: Cerovsky V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3978492 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature