Canada Peptide’s Blog – News, Research & Events

Antimicrobial peptides, or AMPs, refer to a heterogeneous class of compounds present in a variety of organisms, including human beings. Over the years, the compounds have been isolated and successfully characterized. They have been described in a variety of ways, based on their characteristics, structures, and activities. Mostly, they have been described as natural microbicides with selective toxicity toward bacteria and minimal cytotoxicity towards the mammalian cells of the host organism.
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It is estimated that the total number of naturally occurring peptides that have been successfully identified is about 7000. These peptides play a crucial role in human physiology including acting as growth factors, neurotransmitters, anti-infective, ion channel ligands, and hormones. Generally, peptides are very selective and highly effective signaling molecules that have the ability to bind to specific cell surface receptors where they may trigger a variety of intracellular effects.
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Cancer refers to the uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of those cells to attack cells in neighboring organs to form tumor masses before spreading to other parts of the body. Although angiogenesis, or the development of new blood vessels from existing blood vessels, is a vital process for growth and development, it is also one of the steps used by tumors in transitioning from a tumor-dormant state to a malignant state. Therefore, one of the processes that have been explored in suppressing the growth of tumor cells is the smart use of angiogenesis inhibitors.
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Antimicrobial peptides can be found in almost all species of plants, invertebrates and vertebrates. Most of the already identified antimicrobial peptides feature less than 100 amino acid residues as well as a myriad of common features, the most notable ones being hydrophobicity, amphipathic structure, and cationicity. The peptides can be found inducibly or constitutively in a variety of tissue and organs that witness constant exposure to microbial pathogens like the cells in the epithelial tissues of the skin, the respiratory tracts, and the gastrointestinal lining. Antimicrobial peptides display a wide range of antimicrobial activities against fungi, bacteria, viruses and protozoa. Presently, they have been heavily studied and their uses in the treatment of multi-drug resistant pathogens have been well-documented.
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The global market size for cell-penetrating peptides has been on the rise over the last few years, and it is anticipated that the growth will continue in the coming years. The use of peptides has offered a great opportunity for the creation of a variety of drugs. Their size – which lies somewhere between the size of a small molecule and the size of normal biological compounds, has been a great asset in drug formulation since it makes it possible for effective targeting.
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Therapeutic peptides refer to a special class of pharmaceutical agents that features a series of well-organized amino acids. Research revolving around therapeutic peptides begins with fundamental studies about human hormones, including insulin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, vasopressin, and oxytocin, including their respective physiological activities in the human body.
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The treatment of cancer remains one of the biggest challenges in global public health systems, especially given the fact that the high mortality rates of cancer-related ailments lead to millions of deaths every year. The available therapeutic and treatment strategies being used for cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or any suitable combination of two or more of these.
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The discovery of lysozymes in 1922 by Alexander Fleming marked the genesis of modern day innate immunity. Following this finding, there has been the discovery or development of a multitude of antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides. Presently, there are over 3000 antimicrobial peptides that have been discovered and duly recorded in the antimicrobial peptide database. Different types of antimicrobial peptides tend to have some commonalities: most of them have between 10 and 60 amino acid residues, and they are mostly cationic. But there are also several antimicrobial peptides that are anionic in nature, and they also have several acidic amino acids in their structure, including glutamic acid and aspartic acid.
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Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. It is estimated that nearly eight million people die every year as a result of various forms of cancer, including lung cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, throat cancer, and pancreatic cancer among others. One of the most pronounced characteristics of cancer is the growth of the abnormal cells that exceeds their usual limit, and over time, they start to invade the adjoining parts of the body before spreading to other organs.
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Antimicrobial peptides, also known as AMPs, are heterogeneous compounds present in various organisms including human beings. Currently, there are hundreds of antimicrobial peptides which have been isolated and properly characterized. They can be thought of as natural microbicides with the ability to selectively cytotoxic bacteria, while at the same time doing minimal harm or damage to the mammalian cells of the host organism.
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