title: Pulmonary defense and the human cathelicidin hCAP-18/LL-37.
abstract: Antimicrobial peptides form an important component of the innate immune system. The cathelicidin family, a key member of the antimicrobial peptide defenses, has been highly conserved throughout evolution. Though widespread in mammals, there is currently only one identified human example, hCAP-18/LL-37. The cathelicidins have been found to have multiple functions, in addition to their known antimicrobial and lipopolysaccharide-neutralizing effects. As a result, they profoundly affect both innate and adaptive immunity. Currently, antimicrobial peptides are being evaluated as therapeutic drugs in disease states as diverse as oral mucositis, cystic fibrosis, and septic shock. One such peptide, the cathelicidin hCAP-18/LL-37, is reviewed in detail in the context of its role in lung physiology and defense.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210-1252, USA. fahy-1@medctr.osu.edu
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Fahy
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Wewers
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D054804:Cathelicidins
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D054804:Cathelicidins