The only human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, playing key roles in innate immune defense, wound healing, and modulation of inflammatory responses.
The delivery of poorly water-soluble antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are sensitive to degradation is a major challenge in the pharmaceutical field. In this study, we design and characterize a pH-sensitive nanocarrier with the potential for deliver…
Chemical signals are a key element of host-parasite interactions. In marine ecosystems, obligate ectoparasites, such as sea lice, use chemical cues and other sensory signals to increase the probability of encountering a host and to identify appropria…
Mastitis is a highly prevalent disease in dairy cows that causes large economic losses. Streptococcus agalactiae is a common contagious pathogen and a major cause of bovine mastitis. The immune response to intramammary infection with S. agalactiae in…
Keratinocytes (KC) are the main cellular components of the stratum corneum that constitutes a solid physical skin barrier representing the first line of defense against pathogens. Moreover, KC are potent producers of inflammatory mediators and antimi…
Under homeostatic conditions the release of self-RNA from dying cells does not promote inflammation. However, following injury or inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and rosacea, expression of the cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL37 brea…
Cathelicidins play pivotal roles in host defense. The discovery of novel cathelicidins is important research; however, despite the identification of many cathelicidins in vertebrates, few have been reported in amphibians. Here we identified a novel c…
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Fungal infections caused by Candida spp. represent an emerging problem during treatment of immunocompromised patients and those hospitalized with serious principal diseases. The ever-growing number of fungal strains exhibiting drug resistance necessi…
Cathelicidins, as effector molecules, play important roles against infections and represent a crucial component of the innate immune system in vertebrates. They are widely studied in mammals, but little is known in amphibians. In the present study, w…
Vitamin D is a regulator of host defense against infections and induces expression of the antimicrobial peptide hCAP18/LL-37. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with chronic inflammatory lung diseases and respiratory infections. However, it is incomp…
Alligator mississippiensis (American alligator), a member of order Crocodilia, lives in bacteria-laden environments but is not often known to succumb to bacterial infections. Their serum has been shown to have antibacterial activity beyond that of hu…
Infections on implanted medical devices are a challenging problem, especially when bacteria form difficult-to-treat biofilms. Antimicrobial peptides are considered to be a solution due to their potency against antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Previous…
Cerebral toxoplasmosis is characterized by activation of brain resident cells and recruitment of specific immune cell subsets from the periphery to the central nervous system (CNS). Our studies revealed that the rapidly invaded Ly6Gneutrophil granulo…
Ureter reconstruction is a difficult procedure in urology. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), along with multipotency and self-renewal capacity, are a preferred choice for tissue engineering-based ureteral reconstruction. We explored the synergic ro…
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…
Amongst the recognized classes of naturally occurring antimicrobials, human host defense peptides are an important group with an advantage (given their source) that they should be readily translatable to medicinal products. It is also plausible that…
BACKGROUND: In addition to their microbicidal properties, host defense peptides (HDPs) display various immunomodulatory functions, including keratinocyte production of cytokines/chemokines, proliferation, migration and wound healing. Recently, a nove…
is a keystone pathogen that contributes to periodontal pathogenesis by disrupting host-microbe homeostasis and promoting dysbiosis. The virulence oflikely reflects an alteration in the lipid A composition of its lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the pent…
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Vitamin D-1,25(OH)Dor 1,25D3-maintains healthy osseous tissue, stimulates the production of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin and has anti-inflammatory effects, but it can cause hypercalcemia. Evidence links diminished…
Mammals protect themselves from inflammation triggered by microorganisms through secretion of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). One mechanism by which AMPs kill bacterial cells is perforating their membranes. Membrane interactions and pore formation wer…