Antimicrobial Peptides as Therapeutic Agents Against Drug-Resistant Gastrointestinal Bacterial Infections

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a major public health challenge, while gastrointestinal (GI) infections remain particularly difficult to treat owing to limited therapeutic options, the complex gut microbiota, the protective intestinal mucosal barrier and the difficulty of achieving effective drug delivery to the infection site. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a promising alternative owing to their broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, immunomodulatory functions in vivo and a low propensity to induce resistance.

Central to this review is a comprehensive and clinically oriented framework for understanding the potential AMPs in GI infections. We first examine the physicochemical properties, structural features, mechanisms of action and current landscape of AMPs. We then discuss their therapeutic potential against GI infections caused by diverse bacterial pathogens, highlighting both their advantages and the limits for translation.