Design, optimization, and nanotechnology of antimicrobial peptides: From exploration to applications

Antibiotic resistance caused by antibiotic abuse, especially the emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria, poses a serious threat to human health, and makes it imperative to find novel antibiotic alternatives. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as a kind of biomaterials have been revolutionarily evolved into formidable candidates due to their unique non-specific membrane rupture mechanism. However, natural AMPs exist a series of problems including weak bioactivity, high toxicity, and immature stability, which seriously hindered their application. Fortunately, in recent years, the progress of molecular design and optimization strategies, and the fast-rising nanotechnology, have shown the potential to improve the biological and chemical properties of AMPs, which make the application of AMPs possible. Herein, we first review the progress in the design and optimization strategies of AMPs, which lay a theoretical foundation for the development of peptide-based antimicrobial nanomaterials and provided more effective antibiotic alternatives. Secondly, we summarized the construction strategy and biological effects of peptide-based antimicrobial nanomaterials. Lastly, the applications of peptide-based antimicrobial drugs were introduced, and the current challenges and future perspectives in this field are proposed.