Multifunctional cationic host defence peptides and their clinical applications |
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Authors: | Amy T Y Yeung Shaan L Gellatly Robert E W Hancock |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Room 232, 2259 Lower Mall Research Station, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada; |
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Abstract: | With the rapid rise in the emergence of bacterial strains resistant to multiple classes of antimicrobial agents, there is
an urgent need to develop novel antimicrobial therapies to combat these pathogens. Cationic host defence peptides (HDPs) and
synthetic derivatives termed innate defence regulators (IDRs) represent a promising alternative approach in the treatment
of microbial-related diseases. Cationic HDPs (also termed antimicrobial peptides) have emerged from their origins as nature’s
antibiotics and are widely distributed in organisms from insects to plants to mammals and non-mammalian vertebrates. Although
their original and primary function was proposed to be direct antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, parasites and/or
viruses, cationic HDPs are becoming increasingly recognized as multifunctional mediators, with both antimicrobial activity
and diverse immunomodulatory properties. Here we provide an overview of the antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities
of cationic HDPs, and discuss their potential application as beneficial therapeutics in overcoming infectious diseases. |
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Keywords: | |
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