The potentials of short fragments of human anti-microbial peptide LL-37 as a novel therapeutic modality for diseases.
Chen. Keqiang K; Gong. Wanghua W; Huang. Jiaqiang J; Yoshimura. Teizo T; Wang. Ji Ming JM
Key Findings
- Full‑length LL‑37 has antimicrobial, anti‑inflammatory, and tissue‑repair functions but can be cytotoxic at high concentrations.
- Short fragments of LL‑37 retain many of these beneficial activities with reduced cell toxicity.
- These mini‑peptides are being explored as safer therapeutic agents for a range of diseases.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, the take‑away is that future supplements or treatments may use short LL‑37 fragments instead of the whole peptide, potentially offering benefits with lower risk. However, concrete dosing guidelines aren’t available yet, so any experimentation should wait for more detailed safety and efficacy data.
Summary
LL-37 is a natural human peptide that fights microbes and helps tissue repair, but using the full‑length molecule can harm cells at high doses. Researchers found that tiny pieces of LL‑37 keep most of the good effects while being less toxic, making them promising candidates for new health‑boosting drugs.
Abstract
Human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL-37 (LL-37) is an antimicrobial peptide derived from its precursor protein hCAP18, which is an only cathelicidin in human. LL-37 not only serves as a mediator of innate immune defense against invading microorganisms, but it also plays an essential role in tissue homeostasis, regenerative processes, regulation of proinflammatory responses, and inhibition of cancer progression. Therefore, LL-37 has been considered as a drug lead for diseases. However, high levels of LL-37 may reduce cell viability and promote apoptosis of osteoblasts, vascular smooth muscle cells, periodontal ligament cells, neutrophils, airway epithelial cells and T cells. Recent evidence reveals that LL-37-derived short peptides possess similar biological activities as the whole LL-37 with reduced cytotoxicity. Thus, such small molecules constitute a pool of potential therapeutic agents for diseases.
Study Information
pubmed
2021
2021-11-30T00:00:00.000Z
10.52586/5029
33
82