Antimicrobial peptides for novel antiviral strategies in the current post-COVID-19 pandemic

The recent pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has highlighted how urgent and necessary the discovery of new antiviral compounds is for novel therapeutic approaches. Among the various classes of molecules with antiviral activity, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) of innate immunity are among the most promising ones, mainly due to their different mechanisms of action against viruses and additional biological properties. In this review, the main physicochemical characteristics of AMPs are described, with particular interest toward peptides derived from amphibian skin. Living in aquatic and terrestrial environments, amphibians are one of the richest sources of AMPs with different primary and secondary structures. Besides describing the various antiviral activities of these peptides and the underlying mechanism, this review aims at emphasizing the high potential of these small molecules for the development of new antiviral agents that likely reduce the selection of resistant strains.

Automated summary

The recent pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has highlighted the urgent need for new antiviral compounds. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), particularly those derived from amphibian skin, are a promising class of molecules due to their diverse mechanisms of action against viruses. This review describes the physicochemical characteristics of AMPs, their antiviral activities, and emphasizes their potential for developing new antiviral agents that can reduce the selection of resistant strains.