Applications of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in antimicrobial peptides field: Current state and new applications

An Au-Ag@Au fiber surface plasmon resonance sensor for highly sensitive detection of fluoroquinolone residues

Antibiotic residue detection plays an important role in protecting human health, but real-time, rapid, and highly sensitive detection is still challenging. Herein, gold and silver nanoparticles (Au-Ag NPs) were in situ grown on the surface of optical fibers and a 50 nm thick gold film was deposited on the sensor's surface to fabricate the Au-Ag@Au fiber SPR sensor. The sensitivity of the sensor reached 3512 nm per RIU in the refractive index range of 1.328-1.371. When analyzing antibiotic residues in food, the detection limits for Enro and Cip were 0.97 ng mL-1 and 0.70 ng mL-1, respectively. Their recoveries ranged from 96.64 to 115.32% and 96.18 to 121.06% in milk samples. There is a high level of antibiotic residues in meat, milk, and aquatic products and this study has significant potential in food safety testing applications. Moreover, this study will be widely used in environmental monitoring (such as heavy metal ions), medical diagnosis (viruses), marine exploration, drug screening and other analytical fields as well.

The Role and Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Peptides in Overcoming Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are becoming more and more common, which presents a serious threat to world health and could eventually render many of the antibiotics we currently use useless. The research and development of innovative antimicrobial tactics that can defeat these hardy infections are imperative in light of this predicament. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which have attracted a lot of attention due to their distinct modes of action and capacity to elude conventional resistance mechanisms, are among the most promising of these tactics. As a promising substitute for conventional antibiotics, AMPs are a varied class of naturally occurring compounds that target bacteria membranes and disrupt cellular activities to demonstrate broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The objective of this study is to present a thorough summary of the current knowledge regarding AMP mechanisms against MDR bacteria, including immunological modulation, interactions with microbial membranes, and possible synergy with currently used antimicrobial drugs. In addition, we define the review's scope to include the most recent developments in AMP research, emphasizing the innovations' development, optimization, and therapeutic promise. We hope to emphasize the crucial role that AMPs will play in the future of antimicrobial therapy by bringing together recent research and highlighting current issues. We also hope to advocate for AMPs' continued research and development as part of a comprehensive strategy to counteract the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.

Potential and application of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) in the analysis and identification of novel bacteriocins: a review

Bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptides synthesised ribosomally by Gram‐positive or Gram‐negative bacteria to gain a competitive advantage. The majority of bacteriocins are derived from Gram‐positive bacteria, with lactic acid bacteria being the most common source. Because they are considered ‘natural’, there is currently significant development of bacteriocins for application as food preservative agents. As a preservative agent, bacteriocin activity is highly dependent on purity, down to the amino acid profile and sequence. Therefore, bacteriocin identification is important. Currently, MS is a cutting‐edge tool in bacteriocin identification. This method has high selectivity, sensitivity and resolution. To the best of our knowledge, systematic reviews focusing on the application of MS for bacteriocin identification are currently limited. In light of this, the objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive review and summary of MS technologies in bacteriocin research, with a particular focus on the discovery and characterisation of novel sources of bacteriocin. Additionally, studies related to the discovery of bacteriocins from various sources, their role as antimicrobial agents, and their synthesis are emphasised. Thus, this study presents a comprehensive analysis of the advantages, limitations, and future perspectives of the methods employed.