title: Human Antimicrobial Peptides in Bodily Fluids: Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Perspectives in the Postantibiotic Era.
abstract: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an integral part of the innate immune defense mechanism of many organisms. Due to the alarming increase of resistance to antimicrobial therapeutics, a growing interest in alternative antimicrobial agents has led to the exploitation of AMPs, both synthetic and isolated from natural sources. Thus, many peptide-based drugs have been the focus of increasing attention by many researchers not only in identifying novel AMPs, but in defining mechanisms of antimicrobial peptide activity as well. Herein, we review the available strategies for the identification of AMPs in human body fluids and their mechanism(s) of action. In addition, an overview of the distribution of AMPs across different human body fluids is provided, as well as its relation with microorganisms and infectious conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute for Research in Biomedicine, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute for Research in Biomedicine, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.|Unidade de Investigação Cardiovascular, Departamento de Cirurgia e Fisiologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Fábio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trindade
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, QOPNA, Mass Spectrometry Center, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, iBiMED-Institute for Research in Biomedicine, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.|Unidade de Investigação Cardiovascular, Departamento de Cirurgia e Fisiologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vitorino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
keywords: antibacterial; antifungal; antiviral; human antimicrobial peptides; human biological fluids; peptidomics