Antimicrobial peptides as parasiticidal against human trypanosomatids: mechanisms of action and current status in development.

Trypanosomes cause a variety of tropical diseases that affect the livelihood of individuals worldwide. The currently used pharmaceutical treatments rely on chemotherapy. However, many of these drugs are very expensive, and highly toxic. In addition, parasite resistance to several of the therapeutic drugs used is increasing. Therefore, there is a growing need for new control measures for many of these diseases. One new approach is the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to disease control, since these peptides can be used as potential anti-parasite effector molecules. This review summarizes and discusses the parasiticidal properties of AMPs for treating trypanosome infections, highlighting their mechanisms of action and current status in development.