Research progress on antimicrobial peptides of black soldier flies
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of small molecule active peptides synthesized and released into the hemolymph of insects when they are infected or accidentally injured by microorganisms. They play an important role in humoral immune defense. AMPs have strong alkalinity, thermal stability, and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, and also have a certain killing effect on fungi, viruses, parasites, and cancer cells. Due to their extensive biological activity, especially their ability to kill certain drug-resistant pathogens, AMPs are considered ideal alternatives to antibiotics and have enormous application value and market potential in fields such as animal husbandry, food and medicine, and cosmetics.
Black soldier fly, also known as Hermetia illucens L., is a species of water fly in the Diptera family that is widely distributed worldwide. It is native to the Americas and has a short life cycle and fast reproduction rate. Its larvae mainly obtain nutrients by feeding on organic waste such as decaying organic matter, animal feces, or kitchen waste, and can efficiently convert it into insect protein. The feces treated with black soldier flies can become high-quality organic fertilizer. Due to the exposure of black soldier fly larvae to high concentrations of harmful substances during feeding, complex environmental factors induce them to produce immune active substances such as AMPs to resist pathogenic microorganisms. However, Salmonella and other pathogens are almost undetectable in black soldier fly larvae, so they are also used as feed. With the vigorous development of the black soldier fly breeding industry, the powerful immune system in black soldier flies has attracted attention from the academic community.
This article mainly reviews the types, structural characteristics, antibacterial activity, and production applications of insect antimicrobial peptides, including black soldier flies, in recent years. It analyzes the research progress in this field at home and abroad, providing ideas for studying the structure-activity relationship of black soldier fly antimicrobial peptides, and also providing theoretical support for the development of black soldier fly antimicrobial peptide products.

The black soldier fly, as a new type of “resource insect”, has attracted much attention from scholars at home and abroad in recent years. The black soldier fly can produce high-value products such as antimicrobial peptides in its body, which has brought new development to the black soldier fly breeding industry. Black soldier fly antimicrobial peptides not only have broad-spectrum antibacterial effects, but also have antiviral, antiparasitic, anti-tumor cell, and anti-inflammatory activities. Compared with traditional antibiotics, they have great advantages and have broad application prospects in the fields of feed, food, medicine, and cosmetics, becoming one of the current research hotspots of bioactive peptides. However, the natural extraction of antimicrobial peptides from black soldier flies is difficult, the cost of chemical synthesis is too high, and the expression level of genetic engineering is low. Its preparation technology restricts its large-scale production. In addition, the in vivo activity mechanism of antimicrobial peptides from black soldier flies also needs further research and clarification. With the advancement of genetic engineering technology and proteomics technology, we believe that the antibacterial peptides of black soldier flies will achieve industrial development in the near future and bring greater economic and social benefits.