Antimicrobial Peptides: Avant-Garde Antifungal Agents to Fight against Medically Important Candida Species

Rodríguez-Castaño, Gina P.; Rosenau, Frank; Ständker, Ludger; Firacative, Carolina

doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics15030789

Open AccessReview

Antimicrobial Peptides: Avant-Garde Antifungal Agents to Fight against Medically Important Candida Species

by

Gina P. Rodríguez-Castaño

¹,

Frank Rosenau

²

,

Ludger Ständker

³

and

Carolina Firacative

^1,*

¹

Studies in Translational Microbiology and Emerging Diseases (MICROS) Research Group, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad de Rosario, Bogota 111221, Colombia

²

Institute of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany

³

Core Facility for Functional Peptidomics, Faculty of Medicine, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Pharmaceutics 2023, 15(3), 789; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15030789

Submission received: 17 January 2023 / Revised: 22 February 2023 / Accepted: 23 February 2023 / Published: 27 February 2023

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Abstract

Expanding the antifungal drug arsenal for treating Candida infections is crucial in this era of the rising life expectancy of patients with immunosuppression and comorbidities. Infections caused by Candida species are on the rise, including those caused by multidrug-resistant strains or species, and the list of antifungals approved for the treatment of these infections is still limited. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short cationic polypeptides whose antimicrobial activity is under intense investigation. In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of the AMPs with anti-Candida activity that have undergone successful preclinical or clinical trials. Their source, mode of action, and animal model of infection (or clinical trial) are presented. In addition, as some of these AMPs have been tested in combination therapy, the advantages of this approach, as well as the studied cases that have used AMPs and other drugs concomitantly to fight Candida infections, are described.

Keywords: antifungals; antimicrobial peptides; Candida; candidiasis; mycosis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Rodríguez-Castaño, G.P.; Rosenau, F.; Ständker, L.; Firacative, C. Antimicrobial Peptides: Avant-Garde Antifungal Agents to Fight against Medically Important Candida Species. Pharmaceutics 2023, 15, 789. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15030789

AMA Style

Rodríguez-Castaño GP, Rosenau F, Ständker L, Firacative C. Antimicrobial Peptides: Avant-Garde Antifungal Agents to Fight against Medically Important Candida Species. Pharmaceutics. 2023; 15(3):789. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15030789

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rodríguez-Castaño, Gina P., Frank Rosenau, Ludger Ständker, and Carolina Firacative. 2023. "Antimicrobial Peptides: Avant-Garde Antifungal Agents to Fight against Medically Important Candida Species" Pharmaceutics 15, no. 3: 789. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15030789

APA Style

Rodríguez-Castaño, G. P., Rosenau, F., Ständker, L., & Firacative, C. (2023). Antimicrobial Peptides: Avant-Garde Antifungal Agents to Fight against Medically Important Candida Species. Pharmaceutics, 15(3), 789. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15030789

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Antimicrobial Peptides: Avant-Garde Antifungal Agents to Fight against Medically Important Candida Species

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