PROSPECTS FOR THE USE OF IMMUNE PEPTIDES IN OPHTHALMOLOGICAL PRACTICE

Introduction. Eye infections can range from mild conjunctivitis to more severe conditions such as corneal ulcers and endophthalmitis, which, if left untreated, can lead to permanent vision loss. Against the backdrop of increasing antibiotic resistance, the search for effective clinical tools for the effective treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases of the eye is of crucial practical importance. Aim. To analyze current scientific publications on the treatment of the most common infectious and inflammatory processes of the eye and to assess the prospects for the use of immune peptide-based drugs in the treatment regimens of these diseases. Materials and methods. The search and selection of publications, systematic reviews and current recommendations was carried out using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Abstracts of publications were examined and articles that did not meet the study criteria were excluded. The full texts of the selected articles were examined for compliance with the study criteria. Results. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in terms of structure and functional range of antibacterial and antiviral protection are very similar to analogous peptide substances contained in tissues and fluids of the human eye. Under conditions of an infectious process, the concentration of antimicrobial protective compounds in the eye first increases sharply, and then gradually decreases, and at a certain time the mucous membranes begin to experience a lack of anti-infective protection, therefore the use of immune peptides in infectious and inflammatory diseases of the eye is etiopathogenetically justified. Conclusions. In the era of antibiotic resistance, effective agents based on immune peptides are successfully integrated into the treatment regimens for eye infections, in particular eye balms with anti-infective and anti-inflammatory properties. Due to the lack of population resistance of pathogens to immune peptides, ophthalmological drugs containing these anti-infective compounds have significant prospects for clinical application.