Abstract: The antimicrobial peptides are a class of polypeptide substances with antimicrobial activity produced by organism and have a significant killing effect on bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc. Antimicrobial peptides have a wide application prospect and are expected to develop into the antibiotics candidates for the treatment, prevention and control of human and animal diseases. In this paper, the characteristics of structure, the mechanism of action and the application prospect of antimicrobial peptides were reviewed to provide a reference for its deeper research and application．

Key words: antibacterial peptide, characteristics of structure, mechanism of action, application prospect