Antimicrobial peptides from amphibian skin: an expanding scenario.

Many organisms employ antimicrobial peptides to fend off microbial pathogens. Amphibian skin is one of the most generous sources of these peptides. In the past couple of years, intriguing additional insights on various aspects of frog skin peptides have been reported. Several novel molecules, often with unprecedented structural features, have been discovered. Studies focusing on the factors that regulate the in vivo synthesis of skin peptides in response to infection have gained in prominence. Moreover, recent results indicate new possibilities for the development of effective human therapeutics based on antimicrobial peptides and partially disclosed the biotechnological potential of these molecules.