Antimicrobial Peptides: A New Dawn for Regulating Fertility and Reproductive Tract Infections

Antimicrobial peptides are primarily concerned with the innate host defense mechanism and distributed in almost all forms of life. Over the years, several such peptides have been isolated, purified and characterized from the digestive, respiratory and reproductive tracts of mammals. These small peptides are coded by genes, the expression of which is regulated by several factors such as hormones, injury, chemical and microbial insults. Our understanding about these peptides has improved over the years and is now possible to commercially produce them in bioreactors on a mass scale. Until now, it has not been demonstrated that microbes acquire resistance to these peptides. Besides, being part of the innate immune system, problems of toxicity are rarely encountered making antimicrobial peptides potential substitutes for antibiotics. These unique peptides are now used as drugs in treatment of inflammatory diseases, as prophylaxis for neutropenic patients, and even in the treatment of septic shock. Due to their compatibility with the digestive tract of animals they have also been tried as food preservatives. Recently, there is an increasing body of evidence to show that peptides isolated from the reproductive tracts could serve dual roles of regulating fertility and preventing sexually transmitted infections. This review consolidates the advancements made in this area of research and development.