Natural and Synthetic AMPs from Latin America across Diversity Engineering and Applications

Abstract

Latin America’s biodiversity accounts for approximately 60% of the world’s total, fueling scientific research into natural products, a highly relevant area in drug discovery to this day. This is accompanied by an increasing number of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from natural products in the region, which over the past decade have been redesigned through modifications, enhancements, and refinements of their physicochemical properties and antimicrobial potency, using approaches that range from rational design and structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies to artificial intelligence and machine learning methodologies. AMPs and their derivatives represent a vast chemical space with potential for antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic therapies, with emerging applications beyond infectious diseases. Over the years, studies have identified these peptides from a wide range of sources, including amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, and microorganisms from South America, highlighting their diverse biological activities. This raises important questions about whether Latin America is a fertile source of inspiration for the development of AMPs. It also prompts an examination of the region’s historical and ongoing contributions to the field of natural and synthetic AMPs with anti-infective potential. Additionally, it highlights the need to assess the region’s progress in keeping pace with the recent advancements in engineering AMPs to combat resistant bacteria. This mini-review addresses these topics and related issues, exploring Latin America’s discoveries, challenges, and innovations in AMPs and their applications, particularly in anti-infective agents.