## 1 Introduction  
A biofilm is a complex structure formed by surface-attached, or non-surface attached, aggregates of microorganisms that in nature provide protection from desiccation, shear stress, toxic compounds, and protozoan grazing [1]. In the clinical environment, biofilms are associated with chronic and inflammatory diseases, as well as resistance to antibiotic therapy--microbial populations within biofilms tend to include minimally metabolically active 'persister' and/or 'viable, but nonculturable' (VBNC) sub-populations of bacteria [2]. Biofilms comprise an extracellular matrix (ECM), containing a range of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), including cellular debris, proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids [3], and the formation of biofilms relies on key signaling molecules such as c-di-GMP, proteins, and small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs), as well as quorum sensing (QS) [4]. Microscopic and biochemical techniques help in morphological analysis and comprehending the formation and variability of biofilms [5]. The emergence of global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a significant global health crisis is exacerbated by biofilm formation in One Health environments and a diminishing supply of novel antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising for fighting multidrug-resistant bacteria and biofilm formation [6; 7]. AMPs have broad-spectrum activity against various pathogens through several inhibition mechanisms [8]. They can be categorized by structure, function, and target, and their reactivity relies on determinants such as cationic charge, beta fold, amphipactivity, and hydrophobicity [9; 10]. AMPs and their potential role in preventing biofilm-related infections could form an important strategy in the fight against global pandemic AMR. Research in this broad scientific area is being constantly updated. Therefore, this comprehensive review collects and categorizes the latest research (from January 2021 to September 2023) in this fast-moving field and provides an easy-to-read overview of current progress, including a brief overview of the future direction of this research. In this respect, the following databases were initially searched from inception until 28 September 2023: Embase; Medline ALL; Web of Science Core Collection, i.e., the Science Citation Index Expanded (1975-present), the Social Sciences Citation Index (1975-present), the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present), the Conference Proceedings Citation Index--Science (1990-present), the Conference Proceedings Citation Index--Social Science & Humanities (1990-present), and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (2005-present); the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; and Google Scholar (searched via 'Publish or Perish'). Database search terms included 'polypeptide antibiotic agent' (the preferred term for antimicrobial peptides in Embase),'antimicrobial peptide' and 'biofilm' according to the following search criteria: ('polypeptide antibiotic agent'/mi/de OR (((antitimicrobial* OR anti-microbiat) NEAR/3 (peptide*))):ti) AND (biofilm/mi/exp OR (biofilm* OR bio-film*):ti) NOT (review/exp OR (review):ti) NOT ([Conference Abstract]/lim OR [Conference Review]/lim) AND [ENGLISH]/lim. In order to limit the number of articles, searches were restricted to the publication title and major index terms. Reviews and conference abstracts were excluded and only publications in English were used. The results were then collated, and duplicates were removed. The initial search (from database inception to 28 September 2023) was intended to provide the authors with an overview of the number of references available for this comprehensive review. Based on this information, a decision was then made to focus on publications meeting the search criteria that spanned the years January 2020-September 2023, which included a final total of 150 publications.