Table 4.

Human anti-TB AMP therapy: advantages and disadvantages.

Application strategy	Advantages	Disadvantages
Exogenous AMP administration	Broad-spectrum activity Multi-functionality Low immunogenicity Rapid direct killing mechanism High affinity toward mycobacterial surface Enhanced uptake by macrophages Very low/none toxicity of natural human AMP Rapid clearance in host tissues Beneficial effects to the host (anti-inflammatory, pro-autophagy, anti-tumoral, etc.) Low rate of bacterial resistance emergence High stability and efficacy of modified peptide derivatives Reduced manufacturing cost by new recombinant methodologies Gene therapy can restore endogenous AMPs levels in immunocompromised patients Synergy with current antibiotics Potential use as antibiotic adjuvants	Rapid degradation following oral/systemic administration Low stability in human biological fluids Potential undesirable side-effects at high concentration (tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, etc) Potential toxicity via oral/systemic administration High cost of chemical synthesis
Endogenous AMP induction	Efficient at very low concentrations Reinforcement of the immune response in immunocompromised patients Prevention of latent mycobacterial reactivation	No current information on the long-term effects of endogenous AMP induction. Potential induction of AMP resistance