Selvaraj K, Girish C. Emerging antimicrobial peptides in gastrointestinal disorders: Dual role in immunity and therapy. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2026; 17(3): 122448 [DOI: 10.4292/wjgpt.122448]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Chandrashekaran Girish, Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, JIPMER Campus Road, Gorimedu, Puducherry 605006, Dhanvantari Nagar, India. gcnx2005@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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review-article
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology and Therapeutics
ISSN
2150-5349
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Selvaraj K, Girish C. Emerging antimicrobial peptides in gastrointestinal disorders: Dual role in immunity and therapy. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2026; 17(3): 122448 [DOI: 10.4292/wjgpt.122448]
World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther. Sep 5, 2026; 17(3): 122448 Published online Sep 5, 2026. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.122448
Emerging antimicrobial peptides in gastrointestinal disorders: Dual role in immunity and therapy
Keerthika Selvaraj, Chandrashekaran Girish
Keerthika Selvaraj, Chandrashekaran Girish, Department of Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry 605006, Dhanvantari Nagar, India
Author contributions: Selvaraj K contributed to the data collection, literature review, and manuscript writing; Girish C contributed to study supervision and manuscript editing and proofreading.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using Claude AI solely for language editing, image preparation, and manuscript formatting. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted output and take full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript. No AI tool was used for data generation, data analysis, interpretation of results, or the drawing of scientific conclusions.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Corresponding author: Chandrashekaran Girish, Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, JIPMER Campus Road, Gorimedu, Puducherry 605006, Dhanvantari Nagar, India. gcnx2005@gmail.com
Received: April 23, 2026 Revised: June 25, 2026 Accepted: July 28, 2026 Published online: September 5, 2026 Processing time: 127 Days and 11.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Antimicrobial peptides represent promising next-generation therapeutics that counter antimicrobial resistance through membrane disruption, immune modulation, and microbiome regulation. Their dual role in host defence and tissue homeostasis, particularly within gastrointestinal environments, underscores their broader physiological significance. Advances in artificial intelligence–driven peptide design and nanotechnology-based delivery systems are progressively addressing pharmacokinetic limitations and enhancing clinical viability. However, challenges remain, including cytotoxicity, proteolytic instability, and high production costs. Integrating bioengineering, precision medicine, and microbiome-guided strategies holds considerable potential to establish antimicrobial peptides as personalised, clinically translatable anti-infective and immunomodulatory therapeutics.
