Title:Antimicrobial Peptides: An Overview of their Structure, Function and
Mechanism of Action
Volume: 29
Issue: 8
Author(s): Rui Zhang, Lijun Xu and Chunming Dong*
Affiliation:
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
Keywords:
Antibacterial peptide, mechanism of action, isolation and purification, application, recombinant expression, structure-function relationship.
Abstract: In recent years, the antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria has become an increasing
public health threat. Finding alternatives to antibiotics may be an effective solution to the problem
of drug resistance. Antimicrobial peptides are small peptides produced by various organisms that
are considered to be effective antibiotic substitutes because of their strong, broad-spectrum
antibacterial activity, stability, and diversity, and because target strains do not easily develop
resistance. Recent research on antimicrobial peptides has shown they have broad potential for
applications in medicine, agriculture, food, and animal feed. The source, classification, acquisition
methods, and mechanisms of action of antimicrobial peptides are very complex. This review
presents an overview of research on the sources, isolation, expression and purification, and
classification of antimicrobial peptides; the relationship between their structural conformation and
function; their mechanisms of action; and application prospects.