The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
New peptides for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) neutralization in upper respiratory tract infections were developed and evaluated in terms of efficacy and safety for application in humans. Based on the sequence of the human anti…
Cathelicidin synthesized by bone marrow cells plays an important role in neutralizing invading pathogens. In the present study, the myeloid cathelicidin cDNA from Bubalus bubalis has been cloned and characterized. RNA from bone marrow of buffalo ribs…
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the in vitro antifungal activity of the structurally different cathelicidin peptides SMAP-29, BMAP-27, BMAP-28, protegrin-1 (PG-1) and indolicidin. METHODS: The in vitro antifungal and fungicidal activities of these antimic…
SIC (streptococcal inhibitor of complement) is a 31 kDa protein secreted by a few highly virulent strains of GAS (group A streptococci), predominantly by the M1 strain. Initially described as an inhibitor of the membrane attack complex of complement,…
Cathelicidin, a cationic host defense peptide, has been shown to promote cutaneous wound repair and reaches high levels in the gastric mucosa during infection and inflammation. Therefore, we investigated whether this peptide contributes to gastric ul…
BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial peptides are components of the innate immunity that play an important role in systemic and oral health. OBJECTIVES: The antibacterial activity of the amphibian-derived K4 -S4(1-15)a antimicrobial peptide was tested against o…
BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are characterized by a breakdown of colon epithelial barrier function. Antimicrobial peptides like cathelicidins are molecules of the innate immune system located at epithelial surfaces. Cathelicidins in…
Antimicrobial peptides and their precursor molecules form a central part of human and mammalian innate immunity. The underlying genes have been thoroughly investigated and compared for a considerable number of species, allowing for phylogenetic chara…
Aurein 1.2 is an antimicrobial and anticancer peptide isolated from an Australian frog. To improve our understanding of the mechanism of action, two series of peptides were designed. The first series includes the N-terminal membrane anchor of bacteri…
Cathelicidin genes homologous to the human CAMP gene, coding for the host defense peptide LL-37, have been sequenced and analyzed in 20 primate species, including Great Apes, hylobatidae, cercopithecidae, callithricidae, and cebidae. The region corre…
Anti-microbial peptides produced from mucosal epithelium appear to play pivotal roles in the host innate immune defence system in the oral cavity. In particular, human beta-defensins (hBDs) and the cathelicidin-type anti-microbial peptide, LL-37, wer…
The effect of regular consumption of the low-digestible and prebiotic isomalt versus the digestible sucrose on gene expression in rectal mucosa was examined in a randomized double-blind crossover trial. Nineteen healthy volunteers received 30 g isoma…
The endogenous anti-microbial peptide LL-37/hCAP-18 is an effector molecule of the innate host defense system at surfaces of the body. Besides its direct anti-microbial activity, the peptide interacts with different cell types. Dendritic cells (DCs)…
PURPOSE: The goals of this study were to examine the expression of the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 in the corneal epithelium during wound healing and to investigate whether LL-37 stimulates human corneal epithelial cell (HCEC) migration, proliferatio…
Patients with atopic dermatitis exhibit an increased susceptibility to cutaneous infections, especially to pathological colonization with superantigen-secreting Staphylococcus aureus. Recent attention has been focused on antimicrobial peptides, espec…
Streptococcus pyogenes is an important Gram-positive pathogen that is strictly limited to infections in humans. Here we report that streptolysin O (SLO), a cytolytic exotoxin secreted by S. pyogenes, activates human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN…
Shigella is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and growth retardation for children in developing countries. Emergence of antibiotic resistance among Shigellae demands the development of effective medicines. Previous studies found that the endogen…
BACKGROUND: Human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells release various chemokines that are involved in recruitment of inflammatory cells, which can be found within or in the vicinity of the airway smooth muscle layer in patients with inflammatory lung d…
Evasion of host immune defenses is critical for the progression of invasive infections caused by the leading neonatal pathogen, group B streptococcus (GBS). Upon characterizing the factors required for virulence in a neonatal rat sepsis model, we fou…
The human cathelicidin LL-37 has been shown to be involved in the barrier function of the innate immunity, being released from specific cells upon challenge and exerting immunomodulatory effects. We here demonstrate that LL-37 affects immature dendri…