Antimicrobial lipopeptides of bacterial origin—the molecules of future antimicrobial chemotherapy

Emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens have rendered the conventional antibiotics inactive and increased the demand for novel classes of antimicrobial agents. In this alarming situation, peptide antibiotics are considered as promising agents for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens. As per the recent reports, researches on antimicrobial peptides have already been well established all over the world. However, the number of successful lipopeptide (LP) antibiotics reaching the market is a remarkable question that agitates the researchers. Lack of information about the current status of various LP antibiotics is the main reason that acts as a barrier in taking them to successive stages of clinical trials. Most of the LP antibiotics derived till now have not been brought forward further by the researchers to the higher levels of drug development. Identifying the potency and shortcomings of the existing peptide antibiotics is as important as investigating for novel classes. The prime intention of this chapter is to introduce the major LP antibiotics derived from bacterial sources and their current status. The origin of such antibiotics and their mode of action against bacteria, fungi, and viruses are discussed with special interest.