Innate immunity provides an effective first line of defence against infections. This is of particular importance in the lung, an organ that is exposed to a large number of pathogens that are inhaled. Antimicrobial peptides play an important role in the defence against these pathogens as effector molecules of innate immunity. These peptides are mainly produced by phagocytes and epithelial cells, and kill a wide range of micro-organisms: Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, fungi and (enveloped) viruses. However, it is increasingly evident that these peptides not only act as endogenous antibiotics, but also display a range of other functions, including activities that are involved in regulating immune responses and inflammation, and wound repair. In this review, these activities are highlighted and their role in inflammatory lung disorders is discussed.
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April 2006
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Conference Article|
March 20 2006
Defensins and cathelicidins in inflammatory lung disease: beyond antimicrobial activity
P.S. Hiemstra
P.S. Hiemstra
1
1Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
1email p.s.hiemstra@lumc.nl
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
January 11 2006
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2006 The Biochemical Society
2006
Biochem Soc Trans (2006) 34 (2): 276–278.
Article history
Received:
January 11 2006
Citation
P.S. Hiemstra; Defensins and cathelicidins in inflammatory lung disease: beyond antimicrobial activity. Biochem Soc Trans 1 April 2006; 34 (2): 276–278. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0340276
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