Research Advances in Modified Antimicrobial Peptides

The emergence of superbug, resistant to every widely used commercial antibiotics, has led to increasing environmental and health risks. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which represent one of most promising substitutes for antibiotics, are earning interests on account of efficiency in fighting against pathogens and difference in action mechanism between AMPs and antibiotics from researchers all over the world. Indeed, early studies showed that AMPs were found extensively in nature, and had high antimicrobial activities and broad antimicrobial spectrum. Unfortunately, prior obstacles were urgently surmounted because of cytotoxicity, stability, and production cost of AMPs. Accordingly, to overcome these disadvantages, contemporary researchers are trying to apply rational methods and advanced technology to develop modified antimicrobial peptides. AMP mimetics, AMP congeners, hybrid AMPs, AMP conjugates, stabilized AMPs and immobilized AMPs have all emerged and have application potentials in husbandry, food and medicine. This review outlines recent advances of these modified antimicrobial peptides.