Peptide-based strategies including AMPs, cell-penetrating peptides, and peptide-drug conjugates show promise for treating intracellular bacterial infections that evade conventional antibiotics.
Reaching hidden bacteriaPeptides can penetrate human cells to reach bacteria hiding inside — something conventional antibiotics often can't do
What the researchers found
Peptide-based approaches (AMPs, CPPs, PDCs) address intracellular bacterial infections by combining cell penetration, antimicrobial activity, and immunomodulation to reach pathogens hidden inside host cells.
Why it matters
Intracellular bacteria cause chronic, relapsing infections (TB, brucellosis). Peptides that penetrate cells and kill bacteria inside them could cure these persistent infections.
How the study worked
Review of host-pathogen interactions in intracellular infections and peptide-based therapeutic strategies.
What this study cannot tell us
Most evidence preclinical. Getting peptides to specific intracellular compartments remains challenging.
How to read the evidence
Review of primarily preclinical evidence. Emerging therapeutic field.
When this study was published
Published in 2025.
The bigger picture
Intracellular infection is the frontier of antimicrobial therapy — peptides are uniquely suited to breach the cellular barriers that protect hidden pathogens.
Questions still open
- Which intracellular pathogen is most amenable to peptide therapy?
- Can CPP-AMP conjugates eradicate latent TB?
- Would peptide immunomodulation complement antibiotic therapy for chronic infections?
Common questions
Why are some infections so hard to cure?
How do peptides reach bacteria inside cells?
Read the original research
Host-Pathogen Interactions and Peptide-Based Therapeutics in Intracellular Bacterial Infections.
ACS infectious diseases
Citation
Jiang, Jun; Qi, Yunkun; Ma, Shutao. (2026). Host-Pathogen Interactions and Peptide-Based Therapeutics in Intracellular Bacterial Infections.. ACS infectious diseases. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.5c00858