Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 24, Issue 10, 2018

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are phylogenetically ancient substances released by living organisms for self protection against a broad variety of microbes. Moreover, AMPs are endowed with immune modulatory activities, linking innate and adaptive immunity together. Lantibiotics are AMPs of bacterial origin currently investigated for the generation of a new class of anti-infective compounds, owing to the phenomenon of antibi Read More

Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs), also known as host defence peptides (HDPs), are essential evolutionarily conserved components of innate immunity, constitutively or inducibly expressed in response to invasion by pathogens. In addition to a direct antimicrobial action, they are able to synergistically operate with other defence molecules to combat infection by neutralization of endotoxins, chemokine-like activities, induc Read More

Lactoferrin (Lf) is a conserved cationic non-heme glycoprotein that is part of the innate immune defense system of mammals. Lf is present in colostrum, milk and mucosal sites, and it is also produced by polymorphonuclear neutrophils and secreted at infection sites. Lf and Lf N-terminus peptide-derivatives named lactoferricins (Lfcins) are molecules with microbiostatic and microbicidal action in a wide array of pathogens. Read More

Cathelicidins form one of the major families of antimicrobial peptides and have been identified in many vertebrates, including humans. LL-37, the only human member of the cathelicidin family, is detected in most sites of the human body that is normally exposed to microbes, including the epithelial lining of the skin, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary tract and lungs. This peptide is also expressed by a variety of epithelial c Read More

The epidermis functions as a first-line defense barrier that protects the body from the external environment. As a chemical hindrance, the epidermis possesses acidic pH, highly organized lipids and various host defense peptides, also known as antimicrobial peptides. Human β-defensins (hBDs), one of the most important host defense peptide families found in our skin, are well-known for their broad-spectrum microbicidal Read More

In recent years, the therapeutic potential of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as immunomodulators has become generally accepted. Nevertheless, only very few AMP-based compounds have progressed into clinical trials. This paradox may be explained by the fact, that some of the intrinsic properties of natural peptides, such as proteolytic and oxidative instability, render them inconvenient as therapeutics. Therefore, substa Read More

Since the initial description of granular-rich small-intestinal crypt-based epithelial cells in 1872, today referred to as Paneth cells, a plethora of recent studies underlined their function in intestinal homeostasis. Paneth cells are evolutionary conserved highly secretory cells that produce antimicrobials to control gut microbial communities. Moreover, Paneth cells emerged as stem cell regulators that translate environment Read More

The nature and structural composition of antimicrobial peptides are derived from their innate immune response and they are active against various bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms. The aim of this paper was to pool up the literature on the features of human oral defensins antimicrobial peptides. The defensins showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and various fungi and viruses. Read More

Tuberculosis is an ancient disease that has become a serious public health issue in recent years, although increasing incidence has been controlled, deaths caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been accentuated due to the emerging of multi-drug resistant strains and the comorbidity with diabetes mellitus and HIV. This situation is threatening the goals of World Health Organization (WHO) to eradicate tuberculosis in 2035. Read More

Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) are produced by a variety of human immune and non immune cells in health and disease. In virtue of their antimicrobial activity, AMPs have been exploited in human disease and here this aspect will extensively be described. AMPs in comparison to antibiotics possess a larger spectrum of antimicrobial activity without inducing microbial resistance. Therefore, their use in the course of Read More