02414naa a2200289 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200140006002400360007410000200011024501020013026000090023250001000024152015090034165000330185065000200188365000130190365300180191665300220193465300200195665300130197670000130198970000170200270000160201970000170203577300720205210570102019-10-09       2008    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a1872-21567 a10.2174/1872215087845341862DOI1 aDALLA RIZZA, M.  aBiomolecules as host defense weapons against microbial pathogens. (Review)h[electronic resource]  c2008  aArticle history: Received: April 21, 2008 / Accepted: April 29, 2008 / Revised: April 29, 2008.  aABSTRACT.  Antimicrobial peptides have been considered a new source of biomolecules in several fields of research/innovative applications: they would adjust to an ideal behavior seeking to overcome clinician, microbiological, human-animal-plant-environmental concerns. Antimicrobial peptides can be considered as ancient weapons found in living organisms suggesting they have played a fundamental role in his successful co-evolution with pathogens. Acting on microorganism membrane or having intracellular targets, they can also act as effectors of the innate immune response resulting on non-specific mechanisms of action. Two elements have speeded the research on pathogen control alternatives: a verified increase of antibiotic resistance and the relevance of finding amenable environmental compounds in plant health. As a result of its importance, great efforts have been accomplished to find, characterize, combine and synthesize effective antimicrobial peptides. This review intends to emphasize the generation of biomolecules, whether native or synthetic analogues, that have been matter of recent patents. Development of biomolecules suitable for therapeutic scopes and agricultural use have several challenges such as intrinsic toxicity, in vivo stability and suitable formulation contemplating the cost of production. Thus, biotechnological procedures using microbial systems or transgenic crops as plant factories might help to solve these challenges.   © 2008 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.  aAGENTES DE CONTROL BIOLOGICO  aANTIMICROBIANOS  aPEPTIDOS  aANTIMICROBIAL  aBIOCONTROL AGENTS  aMODES OF ACTION  aPEPTIDES1 aDIAZ, P.1 aNARANCIO, R.1 aCABRERA, A.1 aFERREIRA, F.  tRecent Patents on DNA and Gene Sequences, 2008gv.2, no.2, p.82-96.