Antimicrobial peptides and proteins: Mechanism of action and therapeutic potential

With the ever-increasing challenge of antibiotic resistance and the rise in multidrug-resistant strain-associated mortality, antimicrobial peptides and proteins have emerged as a potential therapeutic solution. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are host defence peptides that not only display activity against several pathogens but have been utilised clinically to treat infections caused by multidrug and pan-drug resistant superbugs, working in synergy with existing therapeutics for better clinical outcomes. The chapter discusses clinical perspectives of AMPs, beginning with the fundamentals to current clinical perspectives and challenges faced in AMP research, along with their solutions. The chapter gives detailed insight into the pharmacology of all clinically approved AMPs, including their pharmacokinetics and mechanism of action. Further, the chapter explores various peptide modifications and peptide delivery methods to increase therapeutic potency and applicability of these peptides, and artificial intelligence-based computational tools and databases that can be utilised for peptide prediction and accelerate AMP discovery.