Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Constructing Cyclic Peptides Using an On-Tether Sulfonium Center
Published on: September 28, 2022
Cyclotides as templates in drug design
Sónia Troeira Henriques1, David J Craik
1The University of Queensland, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
Cyclotides are stable plant proteins with therapeutic potential. Mutagenesis can remove insecticidal toxicity, enabling applications in anti-HIV, antimicrobial, anti-cancer, and anti-infective drug development.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Pharmacology
- Protein Engineering
Background:
- Cyclotides are cyclic peptides from plants known for remarkable stability.
- They possess diverse bioactivities with potential pharmaceutical and agricultural applications.
- Their cyclic nature makes them excellent scaffolds for protein engineering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the literature on pharmaceutically relevant activities of cyclotides.
- To evaluate the therapeutic potential of cyclotides for various diseases.
- To explore cyclotides as templates for novel drug design.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on cyclotide bioactivities.
- Analysis of reported anti-HIV, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic effects.
- Evaluation of cyclotides as anti-cancer and anti-infective agents.
Main Results:
- Cyclotides exhibit significant anti-HIV, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities.
- They show promise as antiangiogenic agents for cancer therapy.
- Potential for developing cyclotides as broad-spectrum anti-infective agents.
Conclusions:
- Cyclotides represent a promising class of therapeutic agents.
- Simple mutagenesis can mitigate native insecticidal toxicity for human applications.
- Cyclotides offer a versatile platform for developing novel pharmaceuticals.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design
SAR studies the intricate relationship between a drug's chemical structure and biological activity. It focuses on understanding how modifications to a drug's structure can influence its...
Cycloaddition Reactions: Overview
Chirality in Nature
Aromatic Hydrocarbon Cations: Structural Overview
Removing one hydrogen from the intervening CH2 group with both...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase
Prochirality

