Alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone : An Emerging Anti-Inflammatory Antimicrobial Peptide

Abstract EN

The alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is a neuropeptide belonging to the melanocortin family.

It is well known for its anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects and shares several characteristics with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).

There have been some recent reports about the direct antimicrobial activity of α-MSH against various microbes belonging to both fungal and bacterial pathogens.

Similar to α-MSH’s anti-inflammatory properties, its C-terminal residues also exhibit antimicrobial activity parallel to that of the entire peptide.

This review is focused on the current findings regarding the direct antimicrobial potential and immunomodulatory mechanism of α-MSH and its C-terminal fragments, with particular emphasis on the prospects of α-MSH based peptides as a strong anti-infective agent.