Studies

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

BACKGROUND: Despite growing evidence suggesting potential association between innate and adaptive immunity in viral-induced acute asthma, there is paucity of data in this area. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association of innate and…

Peyer's patches (PPs) are the major mucosal immune-inductive site, and germinal centers (GCs) in PPs determine the quality of the Abs produced. PP GCs are continuously induced by the gut microbiota, and their maintenance contributes to the induction…

Tannerella forsythia is a periodontal pathogen expressing six secretory proteolytic enzymes with a unique multidomain structure referred to as KLIKK proteases. Two of these proteases, karilysin and mirolysin, were previously shown to protect the bact…

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…

The type I interferon (IFN) system has recently been suggested to play important and essential roles in the pathogenesis of myositis. However, a clarification of how type I IFNs could function as triggering factor(s) in the pathogenesis of myositis h…

One promising approach to meet the growing problem of antibiotic resistance is to modulate host defense mechanisms, i.e., host-directed therapy (HDT), in the fight against infections. Induction of endogenous antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) via small mo…