Anti- effects of natural antimicrobial peptides and the underlying mechanisms.

can cause localized infections such as abscesses and pneumonia, as well as systemic infections such as bacteremia and sepsis. Especially, methicillin-resistant often presents multidrug resistance, which becomes a major clinical challenge. One of the most common reasons for methicillin-resistant antibiotic resistance is the presence of biofilms. Natural antimicrobial peptides derived from different species have shown effectiveness in combating biofilms. In this review, we summarize the inhibitory activity of antimicrobial peptides against planktonic cells and biofilms. We also summarize the possible inhibitory mechanisms, involving cell adhesion inhibition, membrane fracture, biofilm disruption and DNA disruption. We believe this can provide the basis for further research against biofilm-associated infections.