Application Value of Antimicrobial Peptides in Gastrointestinal Tumors

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Gastrointestinal cancers pose a significant global health burden with limited effective treatments.
• Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are key components of innate immunity with demonstrated antibacterial and anticancer properties.
• AMPs exhibit selective toxicity towards tumor cells, largely due to their positive charge at physiological pH.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current research on AMPs for treating various gastrointestinal cancers.
• To highlight the therapeutic advantages and unique anticancer mechanisms of AMPs.
• To discuss the potential for modifying AMPs to enhance their efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies investigating AMPs in the context of digestive tract tumors.
• Analysis of AMPs' mechanisms of action, including apoptosis induction, autophagy, cell cycle arrest, and metastasis inhibition.
• Examination of AMP structural features (length, charge, secondary structure) and their impact on anticancer activity.

Main Results:

• AMPs demonstrate broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and specific tumor cell killing.
• Key anticancer mechanisms include inducing apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle arrest, membrane disruption, and inhibiting metastasis.
• AMPs exhibit low drug resistance and high specificity, making them attractive therapeutic candidates.

Conclusions:

• Antimicrobial peptides offer a promising avenue for gastrointestinal cancer treatment due to their unique properties and mechanisms.
• Modifications in AMP design can further optimize their anticancer effects.
• Continued research is essential to translate AMPs into clinical applications for digestive tract cancers.