The alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is a neuropeptide belonging to the melanocortin family. It is well known for its anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects and shares several characteristics with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). There have been some recent reports about the direct antimicrobial activity ofα-MSH against various microbes belonging to both fungal and bacterial pathogens. Similar toα-MSH’s anti-inflammatory properties, its C-terminal residues also exhibit antimicrobial activity parallel to that of the entire peptide. This review is focused on the current findings regarding the direct antimicrobial potential and immunomodulatory mechanism ofα-MSH and its C-terminal fragments, with particular emphasis on the prospects ofα-MSH based peptides as a strong anti-infective agent.
Human basophils release the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 following stimulation with α-melanocyte–stimulating hormone