Most Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) are small peptides with 10–40
residues. They are part of the immune system in virtually all multicellular organisms as
a defense strategy. They are promising drug candidates for the control or treatment of
several diseases or to be used in combination with conventional therapy. There are
several AMPs effective against cancer cells and diseases caused by bacteria, fungi and
parasites. However, none AMP is currently commercialized due to a number of reasons
such as high production costs as compared to conventional antibiotics. The new
generation of AMPs, mainly antimicrobial peptidomimetics, has several drug
candidates currently in Phase I and II clinical trials. Understanding the AMPs' fully
mechanism of action is crucial to develop AMPs into useful antimicrobial agents
highlighting their strengths: broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, low probability to
generate resistance, and potential for topical and injected applications.
Keywords: Amphipathicity, Anticancer, Antimicrobial peptides, Antiparasitic,
Antiviral, Cathelicidin, Cationicity, Conventional antibiotics, Databases, Defensins,
Dissemination, Drug development, Immune system, Interaction, Microorganisms,
Multiresistance, Peptidomimetics, Permeabilization, Pharmaceutical
companies, Therapy.
