Antimicrobial Peptide Synergies for Fighting Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are essential elements of thehost defense system. Characterized by heterogenous structures and broad‐spectrumaction, they are promising candidates for combating multidrug resistance. Thecombined use of AMPs with other antimicrobial agents provides a new arsenal ofdrugs with synergistic action, thereby overcoming the drawback of monotherapiesduring infections. AMPs kill microbes via pore formation, thus inhibitingintracellular functions. This mechanism of action by AMPs is an advantage overantibiotics as it hinders the development of drug resistance. The synergisticeffect of AMPs will allow the repurposing of conventional antimicrobials andenhance their clinical outcomes, reduce toxicity, and, most significantly,prevent the development of resistance. In this review, various synergies ofAMPs with antimicrobials and miscellaneous agents are discussed. The effect ofstructural diversity and chemical modification on AMP properties is firstaddressed and then different combinations that can lead to synergistic action,whether this combination is between AMPs and antimicrobials, or AMPs andmiscellaneous compounds, are attended. This review can serve as guidance whenredesigning and repurposing the use of AMPs in combination with other antimicrobialagents for enhanced clinical outcomes.

The Identification of a Novel Spider Toxin Peptide, Lycotoxin-Pa2a, with Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

“…Peptides derived from animal venom have evolved to perform specific functions, making them suitable for selective therapeutic applications. Moreover, as the synergistic effect of peptides on various diseases has been proven through combination treatment with existing drugs, peptide-based therapies can be used to complement the current drug repertoire [45,59]. In conclusion, this study offers a research approach that efficiently explores transcriptome data through computational methods, allowing for the cost-effective and rapid identification of bioactive peptides, and enhancing the efficiency of the drug discovery process.…”

Synergistic action of synthetic peptides and amphotericin B causes disruption of the plasma membrane and cell wall in Candida albicans

“…These findings underscore the potential of these combinations in combating these fungal strains effectively. In a recent review conducted by [ 14 ], the authors expound upon a series of synergistic peptide combinations with AmB, exhibiting efficacy against Candida spp. noteworthy examples encompass the peptide combination LL-37 + AmB, revealing FIC values ranging between 0.13 and 0.31 against Candida auris .…”

Editorial: Antimicrobial peptides and their druggability, bio-safety, stability, and resistance

“…Other advantages include synergetic effects between antibiotics that allow the decrease of antibiotic concentration(s), especially of toxic ones, and also a lower probability of resistance development. In this regard, combination of AMPs with traditional antibiotics is also a valuable approach (Reffuveille et al, 2014 ; Mishra et al, 2017 ; Mhlongo et al, 2023 ; Chen X. et al ). AMPs, antibiotics and vaccines could complement each other to maintain the health of the organism (Hao et al, 2022 ; Yang et al, 2023 ), these combination therapies can improve both the efficacy of treatment and reduce the dose of each drug, thereby reducing excessive toxicity and side effects, while maintaining a reasonable balance between the therapeutic efficiency and drug resistance development (Zakaryan et al, 2021 ).…”