## 1 Introduction  
The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is responsible for about 15.5% of hospital acquired infections with about 0.7 million deaths from drug-resistant diseases [1]. The Infectious Diseases Society of America focused attention on a fraction of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, enclosed in the acronym ESKAPE (_Enterococcus ficeium_, _Staphylococcus aureus_, _Klebsiella pneumoniae_, _Acinetobacter baumannii_, _Pseudomonas aeruginosa_, and _Enterobacter_ spp. ), so called as they are capable of 'escaping' the biocidal action of antibiotics and evading the immune response of the host [2] due to the acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes; the result is a reduction in the treatment options, especially for chronic and severe infections. This increases the burden of disease and mortality due to treatment failure. Taking into account these considerations, it is desirable to set up a coordinated global response for antimicrobial resistance surveillance [3]. Within the ESKAPE pathogens, the versatile opportunistic pathogen _Pseudomonas aeruginosa_, responsible for both acute and chronic infections, is included. It causes health care-associated infections correlated with high morbidity and mortality in individuals affected by pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or cystic fibrosis (CF) [4]. The genetic disease CF is caused by a variety of mutations in the gene coding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein responsible for ion transport across the cellular membrane. Due to an alteration in ion flow, this leads to the production of thick, sticky mucus that clogs the airways, trapping the microorganisms [5]. Therefore, elevated osmotic stress and high concentrations of antimicrobial drugs, together with reduced nutrient availability and interspecies competition, render the lung environment extremely altered. Altogether, these local conditions force _P. aeruginosa_ to adopt alternative strategies to escape the host immune response [6]. Indeed, this microorganism possesses a wide and variable collection of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance determinants that enable it to adapt to multiple conditions and survive in hostile environments by producing a specific virulence program [7]. Consequently, _P. aeruginosa_ causes highly complex chronic infections. Among its various virulence factors, the ability to produce highly structured biofilms confers to the bacterium important advantages including phenotypic resistance to endogenous and exogenous stress [8]. Hence, the ability to form a biofilm plays a pivotal role in the colonization of CF patients' airways by _P. aeruginosa_[9; 10]. Biofilm is a dynamic process that allows planktonic bacteria to protect themselves and resist against antimicrobials and evade the host immune response. In a biofilm, bacterial communities are incorporated in a self-produced exopolysaccharideadnaride matrix enriched by proteins and eDNA, which ensures their survival in adverse conditions, complicating bacterial eradication [11]. A novel promising strategy for developing new antimicrobial agents aims to inhibit virulence rather than bacterial viability [12; 13; 14; 15]. These compounds, acting on specific bacterial virulence determinants, should not induce the development of resistance, frequently observed for antibiotics [16]. The anti-virulence strategy is particularly suitable for chronic infections related to MDR bacteria such as those responsible for recurrent lung infections associated with CF disease. In the search for new therapeutic strategies against MDR pathogens, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been identified as new potential drugs to replace or integrate classical antibiotics by overcoming resistance [17].