Natural Antimicrobial Peptides: An Emerging Therapeutic Agent against Pathogens

The rate of discovery of new antibiotic is slower than the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains in the environment. This global problem is more acute in developing countries. Therefore, it is necessary to develop some alternative approaches to combat infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms and resistant strains. Natural antimicrobial peptides (NAMPs) are potent antimicrobial peptides that are isolated from different sources like plants, animals, humans, bacteria, and fungi. These antimicrobial peptides may have a ribosomal or non-ribosomal origin. Natural antimicrobial peptides have diverse functions in agriculture, pharmaceutical and food industries. NAMPs have been used as food preservatives against food-borne pathogens thereby increasing the shelf-life of food items. NAMPs are useful in the treatment of wounds, ulcers, skin and soft tissue infections caused by microorganisms. Different types of NAMPs are universal in nature and show broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities. NAMPs exhibit great potency against multidrug-resistant bacteria like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). They have unique characteristics of targeting multiple pathogenic strains and prevent the emergence of natural resistance. In this review article, we systematically discussed different types of natural antimicrobial peptides, their classification, expression, diversity and source. We also explored their mode of action, genetic regulation and application as an alternative therapeutic agent.