Recent Developments and Future Prospects of Natural and Synthetic Antitubercular Peptide Drugs

Abstract To control the emergence of drug resistance and latency associated with tuberculosis cases caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, there is an urgent need of alternative treatment strategies and approaches. WHO’s Global Tuberculosis report 2017 estimated that TB is ranked ninth among diseases leading to death, with approximately 10.4 million people having become infected. Peptides were reported as effective antimycobacterial agents in several studies and were considered as an alternative therapy in the design of new antitubercular agents. In this chapter the importance of in silico and in vitro methods in developing antitubercular peptides are described in detail. The available approaches for screening peptides are discussed along with the selection criteria to identify potential peptides, some important studies on antitubercular peptides, their applications and limitations. The available sources of peptides; new advancements for improved mode of action, such as spray formulations; peptide drug conjugates; and cell penetrating peptides will be discussed. Finally, the chapter will cover the future directions for overcoming the current challenges in the discovery and synthesis of potential antitubercular peptides for use as peptide drugs.