Peptides of the defensin, cathelicidin, thrombocidin and histatin classes are found in humans protecting epithelia against invading microorganims and assisting neuthrophils and platelets (Peschel, 2002).. In the airways, α-and-β-defensins and the cathelicidin LL-37/hCAP-18 are produced by the respiratory epithelium and alveolar macrophages and then secreted into the airway surface fluid . Beyond their antimicrobial function, these peptides are known to be multi-functional. In fact, it has been demonstrated their multiple roles as mediators of inflammation with effects on epithelial and inflammatory cells, and the impact these roles have over such diverse processes as proliferation, immune induction, wound healing, cytokine release, chemotaxis, protease–antiprotease balance, and redox homeostasis (Com et al. 2003; Liu et al. 2003).

References

PESCHEL, A. How do bacteria resist human antimicrobial peptides? Trends in Microbiology, 2002, vol. 10, no. 4, p. 179-196.

COM, E.; BOURGEON, F.; EVRARD, B.; GANZ, T.; COLLEU, D.; JEGOU, B. and PINEAU, C. Expression of antimicrobial defensins in the male reproductive tract of rats, mice, and humans. Biology of Reproduction, 2003, vol. 68, p. 95-104.

LIU, L.; ROBERTS, A.A. and GANZ, T. By IL-1 Signaling, monocyte-derived cells dramatically enhance the epidermal antimicrobial response to lipopolysaccharide. Journal of Immunology, 2003, vol. 170, no. 1, p. 575-580.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       Back