Antibiofilm properties of cathelicidin LL-37: an in-depth review.
Memariani. Hamed H; Memariani. Mojtaba M
Key Findings
- LL-37 shows antibiofilm activity against a wide range of bacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, E. coli, etc.).
- It uses multiple mechanisms: inhibition of adhesion, gene downregulation, quorum‑sensing suppression, matrix degradation, and killing of biofilm‑resident cells.
- In‑vivo efficacy and safety are still largely unanswered, limiting immediate practical application.
Practical Outcomes
- LL-37 is a promising candidate for future anti‑biofilm therapies, but biohackers should wait for clinical studies before trying it. Current knowledge mainly guides research directions rather than providing a usable protocol or dosage.
Summary
LL-37 is a natural human peptide that can stop many harmful bacteria from forming protective biofilms, which are tough to treat. It works by blocking the bacteria from sticking together, turning off biofilm‑related genes, messing with their communication signals, breaking down the slime they produce, and killing the bacteria inside the biofilm. However, real‑world safety and dosing data in people are still missing, so it’s not ready for DIY use yet.
Abstract
Notwithstanding ceaseless endeavors toward developing effective antibiofilm chemotherapeutics, biofilm-associated infections continue to be one of the most perplexing challenges confronting medicine today. Endogenous host defense peptides, such as the human cathelicidin LL-37, are being propounded as promising options for treating such infectious diseases. Over the past decennium, LL-37 has duly received tremendous research attention by virtue of its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and immunomodulatory properties. No attempt has hitherto been made, as far as we are aware, to comprehensively review the antibiofilm effects of LL-37. Accordingly, the intent in this paper is to provide a fairly all-embracing review of the literature available on the subject. Accumulating evidence suggests that LL-37 is able to prevent biofilm establishment by different bacterial pathogens such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Bacteroides fragilis, Burkholderia thailandensis, Cutibacterium acnes, Escherichia coli, Francisella tularensis, Helicobacter pylori, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Inhibition of bacterial adhesion, downregulation of biofilm-associated genes, suppression of quorum-sensing pathways, degradation of biofilm matrix, and eradication of biofilm-residing cells are the major mechanisms responsible for antibiofilm properties of LL-37. In terms of its efficacy and safety in vivo, there are still many questions to be answered. Undoubtedly, LL-37 can open up new windows of opportunity to prevent and treat obstinate biofilm-mediated infections.
Study Information
pubmed
2023
2023-02-14T00:00:00.000Z
10.1007/s11274-023-03545-z
35
142