REVIEW article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

Sec. Antibiotic Resistance and New Antimicrobial drugs

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1528583

Unlocking the Power of Antimicrobial Peptides: Advances in Production, Optimization, and Therapeutics

Provisionally accepted
Mohammad  SadeeqMohammad Sadeeq1*Yu Li  LiYu Li Li1,2Chaozi  wangChaozi wang2Zou  JiaZou Jia2*Feifei  HouFeifei Hou2Xiong  PengXiong Peng1*
  • 1Biosynthesis and Bio transformation Center, School of Life Sciences and Medicine, Shandong University of Technology (SDUT) 255000 Zibo,, zibo, China
  • 2School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are critical effectors of innate immunity, presenting a compelling alternative to conventional antibiotics amidst escalating antimicrobial resistance. Their broad-spectrum efficacy and inherent low resistance development are countered by production challenges, including limited yields and proteolytic degradation, which restrict their clinical translation.While chemical synthesis offers precise structural control, it is often prohibitively expensive and complex for large-scale production. Heterologous expression systems provide a scalable, cost-effective platform, but necessitate optimization. This review comprehensively examines established and emerging AMP production strategies, encompassing fusion protein technologies, molecular engineering approaches, rational peptide design, and post-translational modifications, with an emphasis on maximizing yield, bioactivity, stability, and safety. Furthermore, we underscore the transformative role of artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning algorithms, in accelerating AMP discovery and optimization, thereby propelling their expanded therapeutic application and contributing to the global fight against drug-resistant infections.

Keywords: Antimicrobial peptide, AMPs, antibiotic resistance, SPPS, SUMO, Pichia pastoris Moved (insertion) [1] Moved (insertion) [2] In addition to membrane disruption, some Formatted: Not Highlight Formatted: Not Highlight Balancing potency, Toxicity

Received: 18 Nov 2024; Accepted: 19 Mar 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Sadeeq, Li, wang, Jia, Hou and Peng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Mohammad Sadeeq, Biosynthesis and Bio transformation Center, School of Life Sciences and Medicine, Shandong University of Technology (SDUT) 255000 Zibo,, zibo, China
Zou Jia, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, China
Xiong Peng, Biosynthesis and Bio transformation Center, School of Life Sciences and Medicine, Shandong University of Technology (SDUT) 255000 Zibo,, zibo, China

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