Integrating Metal–Organic Frameworks with Antimicrobial Peptides: Advances and Challenges in Antibacterial Therapeutics

Abstract

The widespread presence of pathogenic microorganisms poses significant threats to human health. While antibiotics remain a powerful tool in combating bacterial infections, their overuse has accelerated the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, leading to a global health crisis. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), a class of bioactive molecules with potent antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties, have thus garnered increasing attention as a potential alternative to conventional antibiotics. However, AMPs are prone to enzymatic degradation in vivo, limiting their efficacy, and some exhibit inherent toxicity. Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), characterized by their tunable pore size, excellent stability, and biocompatibility, have emerged as promising carriers for AMPs. This review examines the synergistic potential of AMPs@MOF drug-delivery systems, with a focus on their design, applications, and underlying antimicrobial mechanisms. MOFs can safeguard AMPs from degradation, enhance targeted delivery, and enable controlled, sustained release. These hybrid systems offer an effective strategy against drug-resistant pathogens by disrupting bacterial membranes, inhibiting protein synthesis, and modulating immune responses. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the AMPs@MOF system, highlighting its potential as a novel approach in the development of antimicrobial therapies.