Advances and perspectives for antimicrobial peptide and combinatory therapies

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown cell membrane-directed mechanisms of action. This specificity can be effective against infectious agents that have acquired resistance to conventional drugs. The AMPs' membrane-specificity and their great potential to combat resistant microbes has brought hope to the medical/therapeutic scene. The high death rate worldwide due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has pushed forward the search for new molecules and product developments, mainly antibiotics. In the current scenario, other strategies including the association of two or more drugs have contributed to the treatment of difficult-to-treat infectious diseases, above all, those caused by bacteria. In this context, the synergistic action of AMPs associated with current antibiotic therapy can bring important results for the production of new and effective drugs to overcome AMR. This review presents the advances obtained in the last 5 years in medical/antibiotic therapy, with the use of products based on AMPs, as well as perspectives on the potentialized effects of current drugs combined with AMPs for the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases.

Automated summary

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown specific actions on cell membrane and can be effective against drug-resistant infectious agents. The membrane-specificity of AMPs and their potential to combat drug-resistant microbes provide hope in the medical and therapeutic field. The high global death rate due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has led to the search for new molecules and product developments, primarily antibiotics. In addition to using multiple drugs, the synergistic action of AMPs and current antibiotic therapy has shown promise in treating difficult-to-treat infectious diseases caused by bacteria. This review highlights the recent advancements in medical and antibiotic therapy using AMP-based products and discusses the potential effects of using AMPs in combination with current drugs for the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases.