title: Antimicrobial peptides and wound healing: biological and therapeutic considerations.
abstract: Repair of tissue wounds is a fundamental process to re-establish tissue integrity and regular function. Importantly, infection is a major factor that hinders wound healing. Multicellular organisms have evolved an arsenal of host-defense molecules, including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), aimed at controlling microbial proliferation and at modulating the host's immune response to a variety of biological or physical insults. In this brief review, we provide the evidence for a role of AMPs as endogenous mediators of wound healing and their promising therapeutic potential for the treatment of non-life-threatening skin and other epithelial injuries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Sciences 'A. Rossi Fanelli', Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mangoni
authors.affiliation: The Ocular Surface Institute, College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Alison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.affiliation: MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zasloff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000276:immunology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D054804:Cathelicidins / Q000276:immunology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D051379:Mice; D064307:Microbiota; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D054804:Cathelicidins
keywords: antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial peptide; frog skin; innate immunity; skin infections; wound healing