Antimicrobial peptides: a promising strategy for lung cancer drug discovery?

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), also called host defense peptides (HDPs), are identified in almost any form of life, which play an important role in innate immune systems. They have a broad spectrum of antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, and anticancer activities. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of global cancer-related death. Unfortunately, lung cancer chemotherapy is accompanied by serious side effects, nonspecific toxicity, and multidrug resistance. Hence, to overcome these drawbacks, anticancer peptides (ACPs) derived from AMPs may represent a potential promising synergistic treatment strategy for lung cancer.

Areas covered

In this review, the authors provide the recent advancements in the use of AMPs for the treatment of lung cancer. Furthermore, the anti-lung cancer modes of action of these peptides have been fully reviewed. Importantly, various strategies for increasing the efficiency and safety of AMPs have been discussed.

Expert opinion

The combination of AMPs and other cancer treatment approaches such as chemotherapy, nanoparticle-based delivery systems, and photodynamic therapy can be used as a promising revolutionary strategy for the treatment of lung cancer. The most significant limitations of this strategy that need to be focused on are low efficiency and off-target events.

KEYWORDS:

• Antimicrobial peptides
• anticancer peptides
• cancer therapy
• lung cancer

Article Highlights

• Lung cancer remains the leading cause of global cancer-related death in both men and women.

• Recently, the emergence of AMPs has started a revolution in lung cancer therapy.

• AMPs exert their anticancer effects via membranolytic- and non-membranolytic-based mechanisms.

• The combination of AMPs and other cancer treatment approaches can be used as a promising revolutionary strategy for the treatment of lung cancer.

• The key step in clinical translation of AMPs/ACPs is the modification of these peptides and the development of novel delivery systems.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences for their supports

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript has not been funded.