Antimicrobial Peptides in the Battle Against Orthopedic Implant-Related Infections – A Review

Prevention of orthopedic implant-related infections is a major medical challenge, particularly due to the involvement of biofilm-encased and multidrug-resistant bacteria. Current therapies, based on antibiotic administration, have proven to be insufficient, and infection prevalence may rise due to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance.Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have attracted attention as promising substitutes of conventional antibiotics, owing to their broad-spectrum of activity, high efficacy at very low concentrations, and importantly low propensity for inducing resistance. The current review focuses on the potential of using AMPs as a preventive strategy for orthopedic implant-related infections. This review addresses current progress in AMP-based approaches designed to both benefit from the key role envisioned for AMPs in the post-antibiotic era and overcome the limitations of peptides as therapeutics. Particular attention is given to application of AMPs onto titanium orthopedic and dental implants, and on encouraging achievements that pave the way for future research in this field.