A Comprehensive Overview of Antimicrobial Peptides: Broad-Spectrum Activity, Computational Approaches, and Applications

Among bioactive peptides, those with antimicrobial activity have attracted increasing attention due to their potential as alternatives to traditional antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small molecules, typically composed of 6 to 60 amino acid residues, and some with low cytotoxicity and minimal side effects. They exhibit broad-spectrum activity against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites through diverse mechanisms of action and interactions with the immune system. This review presents the main aspects of AMPs, including their biochemical characteristics, sources, mechanisms of action, and computational tools used for their identification and analysis. It also examines recent progress in clinical trials and the current limitations that restrict the development and commercialization of AMPs. The review discusses the application of AMPs beyond human medicine, including their use in food preservation to prevent microbial contamination and in veterinary medicine to control infections in livestock, thereby reducing dependence on conventional antibiotics. Overall, AMPs represent a versatile class of antimicrobial agents whose effective implementation across health, food, and veterinary sectors will require integrated multidisciplinary approaches.