MINI REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Translational Medicine
This article is part of the Research TopicAnti-Cancer Potential of Antimicrobial PeptidesView all articles
The potential of antimicrobial peptides to treat oral infections and cancer
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universidade Federal de Jataí (UFJ), Jataí, Brazil
- 2Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, Uberlândia, Brazil
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Oral cancer represents a significant cause of mortality and morbidity, especially when discovered late. Microbial infections, particularly those caused by Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, play a crucial role in cancer development and prognosis, especially in the oral cavity. Unfortunately, the current pharmacological arsenal for treating infections and oral cancer has a low therapeutic spectrum and high levels of resistance. In this regard, some antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) appear to be potential therapeutic agents, as they exhibit direct cytotoxic activity against bacterial and cancer cells with a low propensity for resistance. This study aimed to review the current literature on dual-function peptide molecules with the potential to treat oral infections and cancer. Peptides such as Nal-P113, hCAP(109–135), and Nisin Z exhibit both antimicrobial and antitumor activity, making them promising therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of oral infections and cancer. However, owing to the limitations of AMPs, further in vitro and in vivo safety and efficacy studies are needed before their commercialization.
Keywords: antimicrobial peptides, Oral infection, oral cancer, antitumoral peptides, Drug Resistance
Received: 24 Sep 2025; Accepted: 01 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Carvalho de Paula, Silva Siqueira and Lorenzón. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Esteban Nicolás Lorenzón
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