Antimicrobial Peptides Against Arboviruses: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Future Directions

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Virology
• Immunology

Background:

• Arboviruses pose a significant global health threat, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.
• Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are emerging as potent broad-spectrum agents with antiviral capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential of AMPs in combating arboviruses.
• To explore AMPs' antiviral mechanisms, challenges, and future applications.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on AMPs and arboviruses.
• Analysis of AMPs' mechanisms including viral attachment inhibition and interferon induction.
• Examination of structural data for AMP-viral interactions.

Main Results:

• AMPs exhibit multifaceted antiviral activity against arboviruses at various stages.
• Structural insights facilitate the design of enhanced AMPs for viral neutralization.
• Combination therapies and AMPs as vaccine adjuvants show promise.

Conclusions:

• AMPs represent a promising therapeutic avenue against arboviruses.
• Addressing challenges like protease susceptibility and production is crucial for clinical translation.
• AMPs offer versatile applications beyond direct antiviral action.