The Medical Potential of Antimicrobial Peptides from Insects

E-ISSN： 1873-4294|17|5|554-575

ISSN： 1568-0266

Source： Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, Vol.17, Iss.5, 2016-12, pp. : 554-575

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Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are peptide-based effector molecules produced by the innateimmune system to combat microbes. Insects produce the broadest repertoire of AMPs, and theirpotent antimicrobial activity in vitro and in vivo has promoted their development as alternatives toconventional antibiotics, in an attempt to address the threat of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Here wediscuss current obstacles that hinder the therapeutic development of novel insect-derived AMPs, includingpotential cytotoxic, immunogenic and allergenic side effects, and the high costs of large-scaleproduction. These challenges may be overcome by the falling costs of synthetic peptide analogs andthe heterologous production of recombinant peptides in insect cells or plants (molecular pharming).Insect AMPs offer a promising alternative for the treatment of skin, eye and lung infections, and couldalso restore the susceptibility of multidrug-resistant pathogens to conventional antibiotics when usedas combinatorial treatments. Insect AMPs can also be used as templates for the rational design of peptidemimetics to overcome the drawbacks of natural therapeutic peptides.