Antimicrobial peptides: mechanism of action, activity and clinical potential

The management of bacterial infections is becoming a major clinical challenge due to the rapid evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria.As an excellent candidate to overcome antibiotic resistance,antimicrobial peptides(AMPs)that are produced from the synthetic and natural sources demonstrate a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity with the high specificity and low toxicity.These peptides possess distinctive structures and functions by employing sophisticated mechanisms of action.This comprehensive review provides a broad overview of AMPs from the origin,structural characteristics,mechanisms of action,biological activities to clinical applications.We finally discuss the strategies to optimize and develop AMP-based treatment as the potential antimicrobial and anticancer therapeutics.