Microbial antioxidant enzymes

Microbial antioxidant enzymes are a diverse group of proteins, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and the thioredoxin/peroxiredoxin systems, that protect pathogens from oxidative damage. These enzymes are essential for neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, which are generated both as metabolic byproducts and as a primary defense mechanism by host immune cells like neutrophils and macrophages (Mishra & Imlay, 2012, Nature Reviews Microbiology). By maintaining redox homeostasis, these enzymes protect microbial DNA, proteins, and lipids, thereby facilitating infection and persistence within the host (Lu & Holmgren, 2014, Free Radical Biology and Medicine). In drug discovery, these enzymes are targeted to weaken the pathogen's defenses, often in combination with ROS-inducing antibiotics or to sensitize them to the host's innate immune response. While many of these enzymes have human counterparts, structural differences—such as the use of iron or manganese cofactors in bacterial SODs versus copper and zinc in human SOD1—provide a basis for selective pharmacological intervention (Miller, 2012, Current Opinion in Chemical Biology). Targeting these systems is a promising strategy for addressing antimicrobial resistance, as it hits a fundamental survival mechanism of the microbe.

Other names

Bacterial antioxidant enzymesFungal antioxidant enzymesMicrobial redox enzymesPathogen antioxidant systems

Inhibition of microbial redox-regulating enzymes leading to the lethal accumulation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative damage to cellular components.