Study summary · research use only
LL-37: Cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide with pleiotropic activity
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This review discusses LL-37, described as the sole human cathelicidin among antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), covering its reported broad-spectrum antibiotic, chemotactic, and immunomodulatory properties (human, review article). The review discusses LL-37's potential as a therapeutic agent across four systems: immunological, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin, and analyzes molecular pathways associated with human cathelicidin in relation to specific diseases. The authors state LL-37 has potential to be further investigated and developed as a drug for clinical use.
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is a large family of compounds serving as natural antibiotics, widely distributed across the organism, mainly in mucus layers. They are designed to prevent pathogens from colonization. Among them, defensins and cathelicidins could be found. LL-37, the sole human cathelicidin draws particular attention because of its outstanding abilities. In addition to being a broad spectrum antibiotic, LL-37 has potent chemotactic and immunomodulatory properties. In this review, we discussed the potency of LL-37 as a therapeutic agent in four systems: immunological, respiratory, gastrointestinal and in the skin. We analyzed the main molecular pathways dependent on human cathelicidin and related them to specific diseases. We conclude that LL-37 shows a great potential to be further investigated and developed as a drug with clinical use.
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