ABSTRACT
Antimicrobial peptides or AMPs are macromolecules comprising of 12–50 amino acid sequences and vary in their lengths. They are well known for their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties and are potent to eliminate bacterial load, bypassing the resistance by associating rapidly with membranes. They are also considered to be the first line of defense to prevent bacterial invasion. Defensins are the first of their kind characterized on the basis of their structures. Their formation occurs innately upon pathogen-organism interaction. In contrast to the previously stated hypothesis of acting as a single molecule, AMPs upregulate the immune system and generate a better resistance to the host, or even in combination with other classes of drugs, provide an effective synergistic effect.
