Clinical Applications of Amphibian Antimicrobial Peptides

Frog skin constitutes a rich source of peptides with broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against strains of antibioticresistant bacteria and fungi and several hundred such peptides from diverse species have been described. However, their therapeutic potential remains to be realized and no anti-infective peptide based upon their structures has yet been adopted in clinical practice. This review assesses potential clinical applications of nine antimicrobial peptides isolated from frog skin (alyteserin1c, ascaphin-8, brevinin-1BYa, brevinin-2PRa, brevinin-2related peptide, brevinin-2-related peptide-ERa, kassinatuerin-1, pseudin-2, and temporin-DRa). The multidrugresistant microorganisms targeted include the Gramnegative bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, and