title: Antimicrobial peptides: Possible anti-infective agents.
abstract: Multidrug-resistant bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections are major health threats. The Infectious Diseases Society of America has expressed concern on the decrease of pharmaceutical companies working on antibiotic research and development. However, small companies, along with academic research institutes, are stepping forward to develop novel therapeutic methods to overcome the present healthcare situation. Among the leading alternatives to current drugs are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are abundantly distributed in nature. AMPs exhibit broad-spectrum activity against a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites, and even cancerous cells. They also show potential immunomodulatory properties, and are highly responsive to infectious agents and innate immuno-stimulatory molecules. In recent years, many AMPs have undergone or are undergoing clinical development, and a few are commercially available for topical and other applications. In this review, we outline selected anion and cationic AMPs which are at various stages of development, from preliminary analysis to clinical drug development. Moreover, we also consider current production methods and delivery tools for AMPs, which must be improved for the effective use of these agents.
authors.affiliation: Doctoral Degree Program in Marine Biotechnology, Institute of Cellular and Orgasmic Biology, Academia Sinica and National Sun-Yat Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Orgasmic Biology, Academia Sinica, Jiaushi, Ilan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jayaram
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lakshmaiah Narayana
authors.affiliation: Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Orgasmic Biology, Academia Sinica, Jiaushi, Ilan, Taiwan. Electronic address: zoocjy@gate.sinica.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Jyh-Yih
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D007239:Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
keywords: Antibiotics; Antimicrobial peptides; Bacteria; Fungi; Multidrug resistance; Parasites; Virus