Potential therapeutic application of host defense peptides

• Published in: Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) Vol. 618; p. 303
• Main Authors: Zhang, Lijuan, Falla, Timothy J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.01.2010
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Infective Agents - immunology; Anti-Infective Agents - metabolism; Anti-Infective Agents - therapeutic use; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - immunology; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - metabolism; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Agents - immunology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Humans; Immunologic Factors - immunology; Immunologic Factors - therapeutic use; Sepsis - drug therapy; Skin Diseases, Bacterial - drug therapy
• ISSN: 1940-6029
• DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60761-594-1_19

Host defense peptides (HDPs) are relatively small, mostly cationic, amphipathic, and of variable length, sequence, and structure. The majority of these peptides exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and often activity against viruses and some cancer cell lines. In addition, HDPs also provide a range of immunomodulatory activities related to innate immunity defense, inflammation, and wound healing. The development of these multi-faceted molecules and their bioactivities into clinically important therapeutics is being pursued using a number of different approaches. Here we review the role of HDPs in nature and application of this role to the development of novel therapeutics.