Antimicrobial peptide as promising anti-infective agents and its mode of action

The emergence of resistant microbial pathogen to conventional antibiotics has become a serious problem for human health. To solve this conundrum, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been widely regarded as a key to combat drug resistance microorganism. AMPs exert a broad range of immunological and antimicrobial properties and commonly share characteristics such as positive net charge and amphipathicity. Their complexity of molecules at the sequence and the structural level derived the activity to combat a wide variety of bacterial, viral, fungal and protozoan. Peptide-based antibiotics include β-lactams, cyclic peptide, glycopeptide and lipopeptide. Approaches to the development of novel AMPs was highlighted. Generally, they result in disruption of microbial cell membrane or wall. Also, AMPs inhibit synthesis of intracellular substances such as protein, DNA, and RNA without significantly permeabilizing the cell membrane. It has diverse mechanisms, so it can be applied to various medical application. This chapter is focused on the mode of action of AMPs and its therapeutic potential.