New therapeutic Insights Against Fungal Infections Derived from Crocodiles

Abstract

The CpoBD13 is a β-defensin found in saltwater crocodile. This compound has potential applications in antifungal drug development. As part of nature immune system in crocodile, this peptide represents strong antifungal activity against certain pathogen, it can disrupt certain fungal cell membranes specifically. Its unique mechanism, which binds with phospholipids in fungal membranes, destabilize the membranes, and cause cell death eventually, makes it differs from traditional antifungal treatment. This mechanism disrupts fungal physically and therefore largely reduced the resistance issue developed among fungal. With its pH-sensitive nature, CpoBD13 can easily adopted to acidic environments, this allows it to interact with fungal membranes more intensely, also allows it to be more active in infected areas, like injuries on skins. Although some challenges remain in its stability and viability, new therapies against fungal infections can be discovered through this animal-derived peptides. Further study and research are needed to refine the application and production of CpoBD13 in clinical treatment. To better fill this research gap, this paper aims to discover the mechanism, the potential application, and the future expectation of CpoBD13 in clinical use.