LL-37

Antimicrobial peptides have been evaluated in vitro and in vivo as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Apart from being antimicrobial, the native human cathelicidin-derived peptide LL-37 (amino acids [aa] 104 to 140 of the human cathelicidin an…

Breast-feeding decreases maternal breast cancer risk. Breast-fed infants have fewer infections and inflammatory-allergic diseases. We recently found inducible antimicrobial and immunomodulatory protein human beta3-defensin 2 (HBD-2) in significant am…

Host defense peptides (HDP) are naturally occurring effector molecules of the innate immune system, which might be an alternative to currently used antibiotics. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficiency of transient cutaneous aden…

The skin actively contributes to host defense by mounting an innate immune response that includes the production of antimicrobial peptides. These peptides, which include but are not limited to the cathelicidin and defensin gene families, provide rapi…

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Antimicrobial proteins are key effector molecules of innate immunity. The review discusses recent progress in understanding the function of these host defence molecules in intestinal physiology. RECENT FINDINGS: All antimicrobial p…

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are expressed in the respiratory tract and act as effector substances of the innate immune system. A variety of cells synthesize and secrete AMPs including epithelial and professional host defense cells such as neutrophi…

The New Zealand deer industry is the largest and most advanced in the world. Antimicrobial peptides have been isolated from a wide range of organisms, but as yet there have been no reports on any from deer. This work investigates the antimicrobial ac…

This study was designed to investigate inducible intrinsic resistance against lactoferricin B in Staphylococcus aureus. Serial passage of seven S. aureus strains in medium with increasing concentrations of peptide resulted in an induced resistance at…

Immaturity of innate immunity contributes to the increased susceptibility of human neonates to infection. The lung is a major portal of entry for potential pathogens in the neonate, and human beta-defensins (HBDs) and LL-37 participate in pulmonary i…

Cathelicidins have broad anti-microbial capacity and are important for host defense against skin infections by some bacterial and viral pathogens. This study investigated the activity of cathelicidins against Candida albicans. The human cathelicidin…

Cathelicidins, antimicrobial peptides with broad spectrum activity, have been almost exclusively found in mammals. Here, we report the cloning of a novel avian cathelicidin, chicken myeloid antimicrobial peptide 27 (CMAP27) from chicken bone marrow c…

Antimicrobial peptides are endogenous antibiotics that directly inactivate microorganisms and in addition have a variety of receptor-mediated functions. LL-37/hCAP-18 is the only cathelicidin found in humans and is involved in angiogenesis and regula…

Natural killer (NK) cells, innate lymphocyte effectors, kill virus-infected host and tumor cells in non-MHC, non-TCR restricted fashion, unlike T cells. The role of NK cells in recognition and killing of pathogens remains unknown. Expression of the t…

Articular joint infection is a surprisingly rare event considering the frequency of joint arthrocentesis and other invasive procedures applied to limb joints. This observation led us to the hypothesis that a local "chemical shield" in the form of ant…

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines neonatal bacterial skin infections with respect to host immunity, bacterial pathogens, patterns of infection, and new therapeutic approaches. RECENT FINDINGS: Advances have been made in our understanding of inn…

The cathelicidin family of host defense peptides includes a group of cationic and usually amphipathic peptides that display a variety of activities related to host defense functions, among which the most acknowledged is a direct antimicrobial activit…

Antimicrobial peptides play an important role in innate immunity of the lung by acting as effector molecules in host defence against inhaled pathogens. Various families of antimicrobial peptides have been identified, including the cathelicidins. Cath…

The ability of the cutaneous barrier to help defend the body against pathogens relies on both acquired and innate immune responses. Recently, a large body of research has suggested that a critical component of the innate immune response in the skin i…