Antimicrobial peptides: natural effectors of the innate immune system.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are an evolutionarily conserved component of the innate immune system that defend against invading bacteria, viruses, and fungi through membrane or metabolic disruption. The efficiency of host defense via AMPs derives from the ability of these peptides to quickly identify and eradicate foreign pathogens through precise biochemical mechanisms. Recent advances in this field have expanded the repertoire of activities for AMPs to include immunostimulatory and immunomodulatory capacity as a catalyst for secondary host defense mechanisms. Further scrutiny of the biochemical and regulatory mechanisms of AMPs will lead to novel alternative approaches to the treatment of human pathogenic disorders.