In recent decades, bacteriocins have received substantial attention as antimicrobial compounds. Although bacteriocins have been predominantly exploited as food preservatives, they are now receiving increased attention as potential clinical antimicrobials and as possible immune-modulating agents. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been declared as a global threat to public health. Bacteriocins represent a potential solution to this worldwide threat due to their broad or narrow spectrum activity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Notably, despite their role in food safety as natural alternatives to chemical preservatives, nisin remains the only bacteriocin legally approved by regulatory agencies as a food preservative. Moreover, insufficient data on the safety and toxicity of bacteriocins represents a barrier against the more widespread use of bacteriocins by the food and medical industry. Here we focus on the most recent trends relating to the application of bacteriocins, their toxicity and impacts.

中文翻译：

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细菌素作为新一代抗菌剂：毒性方面和法规。

近几十年来，细菌素作为抗菌化合物受到了广泛关注。尽管细菌素主要被用作食品防腐剂，但它们现在作为潜在的临床抗菌剂和可能的免疫调节剂而受到越来越多的关注。抗生素耐药细菌引起的感染已被宣布为对公共健康的全球威胁。细菌素因其对抗生素耐药细菌的广谱或窄谱活性而成为解决这一全球性威胁的潜在解决方案。值得注意的是，尽管乳链菌肽作为化学防腐剂的天然替代品在食品安全方面发挥着重要作用，但它仍然是监管机构合法批准作为食品防腐剂的唯一细菌素。此外，关于细菌素的安全性和毒性的数据不足，阻碍了食品和医疗行业更广泛地使用细菌素。在这里，我们重点关注与细菌素的应用、其毒性和影响相关的最新趋势。