Antifungal peptides from living organisms

In the post-COVID-19 era, people are increasingly concerned about microbial infections, including fungal infections that have risen in recent years. However, the currently available antifungal agents are rather limited. Worse still, the widespread use of the antifungal agents has caused the emergenc...

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Main Authors: Yi Gong, Qunhang Xue, Jun Li, Shicui Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Microbiology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1511461/full
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author Yi Gong
Qunhang Xue
Jun Li
Shicui Zhang
Shicui Zhang
Shicui Zhang
author_facet Yi Gong
Qunhang Xue
Jun Li
Shicui Zhang
Shicui Zhang
Shicui Zhang
author_sort Yi Gong
collection DOAJ
description In the post-COVID-19 era, people are increasingly concerned about microbial infections, including fungal infections that have risen in recent years. However, the currently available antifungal agents are rather limited. Worse still, the widespread use of the antifungal agents has caused the emergence of antifungal resistance in Candida, Cryptococcus, and Aspergillus species. Therefore, the development of novel antifungals is urgently needed. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), as components of the first-line defense of the host, are found to exhibit broad antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, and protozoa. AMPs with antifungal activity are specifically referred to as antifungal peptides (AFPs). AFPs are currently regarded as the most promising alternative to conventional antifungal agents due to the fact that they are highly selective and less prone to facilitate the selection of drug resistance. In this review, we present an overview of the origin and classification of natural AFPs as well as their modes of action. Additionally, the production of natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic AFPs with a view to greater levels of exploitation is discussed. Finally, we evaluate the current and potential applications of AFPs in clinics and in the food industry.
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spelling doaj-art-5c277bbead014268ac160e8145d8b7f32025-08-20T02:49:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2024-12-011510.3389/fmicb.2024.15114611511461Antifungal peptides from living organismsYi Gong0Qunhang Xue1Jun Li2Shicui Zhang3Shicui Zhang4Shicui Zhang5Shanxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defect and Cell Regeneration, MOE Key Laboratory of Coal Environmental Pathogenicity and Prevention, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, ChinaShanxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defect and Cell Regeneration, MOE Key Laboratory of Coal Environmental Pathogenicity and Prevention, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, ChinaShanxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defect and Cell Regeneration, MOE Key Laboratory of Coal Environmental Pathogenicity and Prevention, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, ChinaKey Laboratory of Biological Resources and Ecology of Pamirs Plateau in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, College of Life and Geographic Sciences, Kashi University, Kashi, ChinaDepartment of Marine Biology, Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, ChinaLaboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, ChinaIn the post-COVID-19 era, people are increasingly concerned about microbial infections, including fungal infections that have risen in recent years. However, the currently available antifungal agents are rather limited. Worse still, the widespread use of the antifungal agents has caused the emergence of antifungal resistance in Candida, Cryptococcus, and Aspergillus species. Therefore, the development of novel antifungals is urgently needed. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), as components of the first-line defense of the host, are found to exhibit broad antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, and protozoa. AMPs with antifungal activity are specifically referred to as antifungal peptides (AFPs). AFPs are currently regarded as the most promising alternative to conventional antifungal agents due to the fact that they are highly selective and less prone to facilitate the selection of drug resistance. In this review, we present an overview of the origin and classification of natural AFPs as well as their modes of action. Additionally, the production of natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic AFPs with a view to greater levels of exploitation is discussed. Finally, we evaluate the current and potential applications of AFPs in clinics and in the food industry.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1511461/fullantifungal peptidesourcesmechanismsproductionapplication
spellingShingle Yi Gong
Qunhang Xue
Jun Li
Shicui Zhang
Shicui Zhang
Shicui Zhang
Antifungal peptides from living organisms
Frontiers in Microbiology
antifungal peptide
sources
mechanisms
production
application
title Antifungal peptides from living organisms
title_full Antifungal peptides from living organisms
title_fullStr Antifungal peptides from living organisms
title_full_unstemmed Antifungal peptides from living organisms
title_short Antifungal peptides from living organisms
title_sort antifungal peptides from living organisms
topic antifungal peptide
sources
mechanisms
production
application
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1511461/full
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AT qunhangxue antifungalpeptidesfromlivingorganisms
AT junli antifungalpeptidesfromlivingorganisms
AT shicuizhang antifungalpeptidesfromlivingorganisms
AT shicuizhang antifungalpeptidesfromlivingorganisms
AT shicuizhang antifungalpeptidesfromlivingorganisms