Reviews:
Cell Stress, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 9 - 18; doi: 10.15698/cst2026.01.315
Antifungal peptides: from modes of action to synergistic and immunologic potential
1 Institute for Molecular Biosciences, NAWI Graz, University of Graz, Graz, Austria. 2 BioHealth Graz, Graz, Austria. 3 BioTechMed Graz, Graz, Austria. # Contributed equally
Keywords: Candida, resistance, yeast, antimycotics, drug, azoles, immune system
Received originally: 13/10/2025 Received in revised form: 22/12/2025
Accepted: 13/01/2026
Published: 30/01/2026
Correspondence:
Frank Madeo, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria; madeo@uni-graz.at
Didac Carmona-Gutierrez, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria; carmonag@uni-graz.at
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Please cite this article as: Didac Carmona-Gutierrez, Maria A. Bauer, Katharina Kainz, Martin N. Odabas, Frank Madeo (2026). Antifungal peptides: from modes of action to synergistic and immunologic potential. Cell Stress 10: 9-18. doi: 10.15698/cst2026.01.315
Abstract
Fungal infections pose a significant global health threat with rising morbidity and mortality rates. However, the repertoire of effective antifungal drugs remains narrow, a challenge that is further exacerbated by the increasing emergence of (multi)drug-resistant strains. This underscores the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. Among them, antifungal peptides (AFPs) have emerged as a promising alternative. AFPs are small, naturally occurring peptides produced by a wide range of organisms, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria, as part of their innate immune defense. In addition, synthetic and semisynthetic variants have also been engineered. We here underscore the potential of AFPs as viable candidates for the development of next-generation antifungal therapies. In particular, we advocate their multimodal advantage that spans beyond standalone activity, including their synergistic and immune-regulatory potential.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research was funded in whole, or in part, by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) [10.55776/COE14, 10.55776/P37278]. We thank the University of Graz (Institute of Molecular Biosciences) for financial support. FM is grateful to the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) for excellence cluster 10.55776/COE14, which was additionally supported by Land Styria, Stadt Graz and University of Graz. DCG, KK and FM thank the FWF for grant 10.55776/P37278 (project no. P37278) as well as for further grants (DOC-50, F3012, W1226, P29203, P29262, P27893, and P31727). For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright license to any author-accepted manuscript version arising from this submission.
COPYRIGHT
© 2026
Antifungal peptides: from modes of action to synergistic and immunologic potential by Carmona-Gutierrez et al. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
