Antimicrobial peptides: Bridging mechanistic understanding and novel applications.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which can be derived from diverse biological sources, exhibit a broad spectrum of inhibitory activity against bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, positioning them as promising alternatives to traditional antibiotics. This review offers a comprehensive and systematic overview of the AMP research, encompassing their origins, classification, and mechanisms of action, with a focus on the application of AMPs in food preservation and the emerging role of artificial intelligence in the identification and design of novel AMPs.