A Review of Antimicrobial Peptides: Its Function, Mode of Action and Therapeutic Potential

• Published in: International journal of peptide research and therapeutics 2022, Vol.28 (1), Article 46
• Main Authors: Nayab, Sehrish, Aslam, Muhammad Aamir, Rahman, Sajjad ur, Sindhu, Zia ud Din, Sajid, Sanaullah, Zafar, Nishat, Razaq, Maida, Kanwar, Rabia, Amanullah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Anatomy; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Antimicrobial peptides; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell membranes; Drug resistance; Histology; Immune response; Innate immunity; Life Sciences; Molecular Medicine; Morphology; Pathogens; Peptides; Pharmaceutical Sciences/Technology; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Polymer Sciences; Wound healing
• ISSN: 1573-3149; 1573-3904
• DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10325-6

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are endogenous polypeptides produced by multicellular organisms in order to protect a host from pathogenic microbes. AMPs are also defined as host defense peptides because of their essential role in constituting the innate immunity system. The major mechanism of actions against microbial pathogens is attributed to perturbation of cell membrane of pathogens. In addition to the antimicrobial function, AMPs also act as effector molecules in wound healing, inflammation, and immune activation. AMPs have been considered as a potential therapeutic source due to its different mechanism of actions and broad-spectrum properties in comparison with the conventionally used antibiotics. As a new generation antibiotic, the AMPs have considerable benefits. AMPs are receiving great attention as promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics to overcome the current drug resistance crisis. In this review, we describe the classes, structural information about AMPs and their therapeutic role as novel antibiotic agents.