Peptides

Researchers at Emory screened 32 peptides derived from the mucus of the frog, called Bahuvistara, and found one that was effective against all H1 viruses.

Bishop and his colleagues, working with blood from Komodos, isolated peptides, or small proteins, produced by the reptiles' immune systems. The peptides, Bishop said, seem to have remarkable anti-bacterial properties.

Researchers made artificial versions of these peptides and tested the most promising one — DRGN-1, or DRAGON-1 — in wounded mice and human skin cell cultures. They found the protein molecules exhibited three outstanding properties: They destroyed the outer layer of bacteria, dissolved biofilms — a sticky colony that microbes form to shield against antibiotics — and speeded up healing.

On healthy skin, the good bacteria keep bad microbes in check by producing natural antibiotic peptides. However, some 20 percent of people with eczema have an imbalance of good and bad skin bacteria.

U.S. researchers say dermal fat cells, known as adipocytes, produce peptides or proteins that shield against invading bacteria.

The team said the central structure of the nanotubes contains rings called cyclic peptides.