Antimicrobial peptides from earthworms: Emerging candidates for novel therapeutic applications

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small, naturally occurring peptides, play a crucial role in the innate immune system of many organisms, from bacteria to humans. Earthworms encompasses an array of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and its analogues, generated by their immune system confers to their survival against a wide range of pathogens. This review explores the different earthworm antimicrobials like, AMPs, extracts, powders and earthworm coelomic fluid (ECF) with experimental validation. This review highlights the earthworms innate immune response, harnessed to treat multiple co-infections, multiple drug resistance (MDR), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and can address divergent diseases through their broad-spectrum applications. The implementations of earthworm extracts and AMPs are well addressed implying its attributes like anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties, its role in wound healing and regeneration, anti-coagulation properties, anti-tumor properties and anti-inflammatory functions. The future scope of AMPs is detailed and the noteworthy attributes of earthworm antimicrobials face challenges, in being used for clinical applications. In addition, this review highlights the combination therapy where earthworm antimicrobials are administered in conjunction with other drugs. In such a manner the drawbacks of one are rectified by the other deducing powerful and novel antimicrobials. Further, the jeopardy of AMR in the current era is discussed and various tireless attempts to regulate its spread with the aid of novel antimicrobials including AMPs is also explored. This review contributes to explore the earthworm antimicrobials to clinical applications in the near future.