Delivery systems for antimicrobial peptides.
Due to rapidly increasing resistance development against conventional antibiotics, finding novel approaches for the treatment of infections has emerged as a key health issue. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted interest in this context, and there is by now a considerable literature on the identification such peptides, as well as on their optimization to reach potent antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects at simultaneously low toxicity against human cells. In comparison, delivery systems for antimicrobial peptides have attracted considerably less interest. However, such delivery systems are likely to play a key role in the development of potent and safe AMP-based therapeutics, e.g., through reducing chemical or biological degradation of AMPs either in the formulation or after administration, by reducing adverse side-effects, by controlling AMP release rate, by promoting biofilm penetration, or through achieving co-localization with intracellular pathogens. Here, an overview is provided of the current understanding of delivery systems for antimicrobial peptides, with special focus on AMP-carrier interactions, as well as consequences of these interactions for antimicrobial and related biological effects of AMP-containing formulations.
Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 580, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden.
Randi
R
Nordström
Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 580, SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden; Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: martin.malmsten@farmaci.uu.se.
Martin
M
Malmsten
D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D004337:Drug Carriers; D007287:Inorganic Chemicals; D008055:Lipids; D011108:Polymers; D013501:Surface-Active Agents
Antimicrobial peptide; Drug delivery; Infection