Antimicrobial Peptides of Marine Crustaceans: The Potential and Challenges of Developing Therapeutic Agents

The alarming increase of antimicrobial resistance has led to a growing number of studies aiming to develop novel antimicrobial therapeutics. Natural antimicrobial peptides possess a potent and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity combined with diverse and unique structural motifs, which confer their different mechanisms of action. These peptides are ubiquitous in organisms and are integral to the innate immune system. Recently, identification of antimicrobial peptides from marine crustaceans has become the centre of attention of many researchers. This increasing interest stems from the remarkable diversity in the structural and genetic composition of these peptides compared to terrestrial counterparts. Thus, peptides from marine crustaceans can serve as future templates for novel antimicrobial agents. Here, we provide an overview of various antimicrobial peptides from the marine crustaceans, their antimicrobial activity and structure- activity relationships. We also discuss the potential and challenges of their development as new antimicrobial agents.