The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
BACKGROUND: The disparity in prevalence of infectious diseases across the globe is common knowledge. Vitamin D receptor (VDR)-mediated toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/1 signaling produces antimicrobial peptides, which is critical as a first line of defens…
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are considered an important first line of defense against pathogens. Cathelicidin LL-37 was upregulated in response to fungal infection. In this work we aimed to evaluate cathelicidin LL-37 in the hair of tinea capitis a…
The cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, LL-37, is a multifunctional peptide with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities, such as chemotaxis and neutralizing endotoxins. Previous studies have demonstrated that it LL‑37 serves a functional role i…
The cause of adaptive protein evolution includes internal (for example, co-evolution of ligand-receptor pairs) and external (for example, adaptation to different ecological niches) mechanisms. Host defense peptides (HDPs) are a class of vertebrate-sp…
The earliest record between sun exposure and skin disease goes back five millennia to the ancient Egyptians. The modern scientific era of medical light therapy and skin diseases started in 1877 when Downs and Blunt reported that exposure to light inh…
Crotalicidin (Ctn), a 34-residue cathelicidin from a South American rattlesnake, and its fragment (Ctn[15-34]) have shown anti-infective and cytotoxic activities against Gram-negative bacteria and certain tumor lines, respectively. The extent of such…
We asked whether beta-lactamase inhibitors (BLIs) increased the activity of daptomycin (DAP) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the peptide antibiotic colistin (COL) against the emerging Gram-negative nosocomial pathogen Acin…
Antimicrobial peptides are central effector molecules in skin immunology. The functions of antimicrobial peptides in skin diseases include the ability to act as cytokines or growth factors, driving disorders such as psoriasis and rosacea, as well as…
Broad spectrum activities, a unique mode of actions and rare resistant variants make antimicrobial peptide (AMP) a potential alternative to antibiotics. However, AMPs still have limitations in clinical development due to their physiological stability…
Infiltrating activated monocytes are important mediators of damaging inflammation during influenza A virus (IAV) infection. We show that soluble respiratory proteins [collectins, surfactant proteins D (SP-D) and mannose binding lectin (MBL), H-ficoli…
BACKGROUND: Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are polysaccharides that are distributed on respiratory epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and submucosal glands. Uniquely positioned, certain GAGs exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in respiratory diseases a…
Psoriasis is a polygenic and multi-factorial disease showing ethnic differences in terms of its severity and frequency. Therapies targeting interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17 receptor (IL-17R) and Janus kinases (JAKs) are in clinical development for the tre…
BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a systemic host response to an infection leading to organ failure. This is associated with dynamic expression of endogenous host defense peptides. Dysregulation of these peptides is associated with septic morbidity and mortality…
INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the biocompatibility of 5 and 10 μg/mL LL-37 in vitro and its effect on the differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) into odontoblast-like cells. METHODS: Cell viability, genotoxicity, nitric oxide pr…
Skin is an attractive target for gene electrotransfer due to its easy accessibility and its interesting immune properties. Since electrodes are often invasive and frequently induce discomfort during pulse application, there is a fundamental need for…
Vitamin D inadequacy [total 25(OH)D <50 nmol/L] is widespread in athletes. The biologically active metabolite, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, may be involved in regulating inflammation although in vitro findings have not been consistently replicated in hum…
Human cathelicidin, LL-37, is small antimicrobial peptide, which reveals also some immunomodulatory and proangiogenic properties and, therefore, may promote wound healing. The expression of LL-37 is controlled by various factors, including vitamin D.…
The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multimeric protein complex that controls the production of IL-1β, a cytokine that influences the development of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Helminth parasites secrete molecules that interact with innate immu…
BACKGROUND: Palmoplantar pustular psoriasis (PPPP) is a variant of psoriasis, which has significant negative impact on quality of life. The cellular and molecular inflammatory pathways involved in PPPP have not been well studied. OBJECTIVE: Study the…