Antimicrobial peptides as new-generation antibiotics against Mycobacterium

Abstract

More than 10 million cases of tuberculosis (TB) in 2019 have made TB a global health problem. The increase in infection has caused an increase in the use of antibiotics for treatment, but with the spread of antibiotic use and the emergence of antibiotic resistance, the treatment has become difficult. This issue highlights the need to find a suitable alternative more than in the past. This matter emphasizes the urgency of discovering a viable substitute more than ever before. These obstacles underscore the necessity of developing innovative approaches that are not only cost-effective and efficient but also possess reduced levels of toxicity. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) possess a wide range of characteristics, which positions them as highly promising alternatives for a future era that follows the use of antibiotics. Here, we will focus on investigating AMPs from different sources, such as animal, nonanimal, and synthetic, with their inhibitory activity against TB as a therapeutic strategy. The aim of this study was to investigate different aspects of using AMPs to deal with Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a new strategy in its treatment. For this purpose, we studied more than 50 articles with the keywords peptide, AMP, and M. tuberculosis and investigated the importance of AMP against TB by searching valuable data sources such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. In this study, the effect of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against mycobacteria was investigated. With the review done and considering all the advantages and challenges of AMPs, we concluded that this class of new antibiotics can be used as a long-term strategy to fight TB. As a result, we suggest research priorities to discover and optimize the challenges of these peptides as TB treatment and diagnostic methods in different countries.