title: Antimicrobial peptides: an alternative for innovative medicines?
abstract: Antimicrobial peptides are small molecules with activity against bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses, bacteria, and even tumor cells that make these molecules attractive as therapeutic agents. Due to the alarming increase of antimicrobial resistance, interest in alternative antimicrobial agents has led to the exploitation of antimicrobial peptides, both synthetic and from natural sources. Thus, many peptide-based drugs are currently commercially available for the treatment of numerous ailments, such as hepatitis C, myeloma, skin infections, and diabetes. Initial barriers are being increasingly overcome with the development of cost-effective, more stable peptides. Herein, we review the available strategies for their synthesis, bioinformatics tools for the rational design of antimicrobial peptides with enhanced therapeutic indices, hurdles and shortcomings limiting the large-scale production of AMPs, as well as the challenges that the pharmaceutical industry faces on their use as therapeutic agents.
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Centre, QOPNA, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: João Pinto
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cova
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vitorino
mesh_terms: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001688:Biological Products