The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
Some antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been described to exert immunomodulatory effects, which may contribute to their in vivo antibacterial activity. Very recently, we could show that novel oncocin and apidaecin derivatives are potently antibacteri…
As traditional antibiotics gradually become inefficient, there is a high demand for development of anti-infectives with a mechanism of action that is different from existing antibiotics. Current antibiotics target the pathogen directly, thereby contr…
Mast cells (MCs) are well-known effectors of allergic reactions and are considered sentinels in the skin and mucosa. In addition, through their production of cathelicidin, MCs have the capacity to oppose invading pathogens. We therefore hypothesized…
The antitumor activity of pardaxin, a fish antimicrobial peptide, has not been previously examined in in vitro and in vivo systems for treating murine fibrosarcoma. In this study, the antitumor activity of synthetic pardaxin was tested using murine M…
Cathelicidins are a group of antimicrobial peptides. Since their discovery, it has become clear that they are an exceptional class of peptides, with some members having pleiotropic effects. Not only do they possess an antibacterial, antifungal and an…
Innate defense regulators (IDRs) are synthetic immunomodulatory versions of natural host defense peptides (HDP). IDRs mediate protection against bacterial challenge in the absence of direct antimicrobial activity, representing a novel approach to ant…
BACKGROUND: Vitamin D may play important roles in regulating immune responses and in defence against infectious diseases by effects on both innate and adaptive immune responses. Little is known regarding activation of vitamin D within airway tissues…
Toll-like receptors (TLR) are important in recognizing microbial pathogens and triggering host innate immune responses, including autophagy, and in the mediation of immune activation during human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV) infection. We repo…
BACKGROUND: Oral ulcer is the cardinal clinical sign and increased neutrophilic activity is a part of the pathogenesis in Behcet's disease (BD). Saliva, as a part of the innate immune response, contains antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are derived…
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Intrarectal administration of mouse cathelin-related antimicrobial peptide (mCRAMP) reduced intestinal inflammation in mice. In the current study, we examined whether mCRAMP-transformed Lactococcus lactis given orally attained sim…
Human acidic fibroblast growth factor (haFGF) stimulates repair of delayed healing which still remains a tremendously world-wide issue. However, most of the patients with delayed healings have to face another creeping problem - microbial infection, w…
Today multiple trauma still is associated with a high mortality. Although severe open fractures and wounds can give rise to local infections and sepsis, the overall infection rate of multiply injured patients is surprisingly low. We have investigated…
Low vitamin D levels in human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV) infected persons are associated with more rapid disease progression and increased risk for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. We have previously shown that 1α,25-dihydroxycholecalci…
Antimicrobial peptides, molecules produced in many different organisms, have high biocidal activity against several microorganisms. However, several questions about these molecules remain unclear. Therefore, this report details a systematic survey of…
We report that the bone marrow (BM) stroma-released LL-37, a member of the cathelicidin family of antimicrobial peptides, primes/increases the responsiveness of murine and human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) to an α-chemokine stromal-de…
BACKGROUND: Acne inversa is a chronic, suppurative relapsing inflammatory skin disease that primarily affects the axillae, perineum and inframammary regions. Evidence suggests that the innate immune system is involved in the pathogenesis of acne inve…
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a facultative pathogen inhabiting the nasopharynx of humans where it is exposed to a range of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) of the innate immune response. It is possible therefore that the susceptibility of strains to AMPs…
LL-37 is the only cathelicidin-derived antimicrobial peptide found in humans and it has a multifunctional role in host defense. The peptide has been shown to possess immunomodulatory functions in addition to antimicrobial activity. To provide suffici…
Some antimicrobial peptides have emerged as potential anticancer agents. In contrast to chemotherapeutics, they act primarily by physical disruption of the cancer cell membrane. Selective targeting of these cationic peptides still remains elusive. We…
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) are food-borne pathogens that cause serious diarrheal diseases. To colonize the human intestine, these pathogens must overcome innate immune defenses such as antimicrobial…