Antimicrobial natural products

To prevent and treat diseases caused by the spread of microbes, humans have invented all sorts of effective antimicrobial substances. The most widely used antimicrobial substance is antibiotics. However, misuse of antibiotics can generate various negative effects, bacterial resistance, decreased immunity, and internal flora imbalance which can lead to endogenous infection. In addition, existing non-natural antibacterial substances each have their own limitations; using these substances in food may spoil the flavor, and an overuse can cause negative impacts on human health and even lead to cancer. Thus, non-traditional natural antibacterial substances, such as antimicrobial peptides and cyclic lipopeptide substances, have become the major focus for medical and nutrition research due to their broad-spectrum and strong antibacterial nature, reliable performance, and high nutritious values. In this chapter, we will categorically describe the new natural antimicrobial peptides which possess different antibacterial mechanisms from traditional antibiotics and are less prone to drug resistance, as well as the structure, properties and antibacterial mechanics of cyclic lipopeptide.