An antimicrobial peptide of the cathelicidin family that provides innate immune defense by killing pathogens and modulating inflammation and wound healing.
Scientists made a 3‑D sponge that sticks to a peptide called LL‑37, which kills bacteria, and also adds a clot‑triggering peptide. The sponge soaks up fluid, sticks well to tissue, and helps stop bleeding faster while also fighting infection, leading to quicker wound healing in animal tests.
Nguyen Ngoc. Dominika D; Latalski. Michał M; Danielewicz. Anna A; Szponder. Tomasz T; Wessely-...
This paper reviews how the natural antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 and similar molecules can fight bone infections (osteomyelitis) that are hard to treat with regular antibiotics, especially when bacteria form protective biofilms. It looks at ways to deliver these peptides—like mixing them with collagen, chitosan, or putting them in tiny particles—to make them more stable and effective, and it reports that early animal and human studies show they can kill resistant bugs and help bone healing with few side effects.
Javed. Ali A; Oedairadjsingh. Trishana T; Ludwig. Irene S IS; Wood. Thomas M TM; Martin. Nathaniel I...
The study shows that the pig peptide Protegrin-1 can bind to bacterial toxins and lower immune cell activation in lab tests, and it also blocks bacteria and parasites from surviving inside immune cells. However, the work is all done in cell cultures, not in people, and it doesn’t give dosing or safety info, so it’s more of a proof‑of‑concept than a ready‑to‑use hack.
This review talks about natural proteins like LL‑37 that our bodies make to fight germs. Besides killing microbes, these proteins can also help kill cancer cells, heal wounds, and tweak the immune system. Because they’re already in our bodies and seem safe, scientists think they could become new tools for cancer prevention or therapy, but the paper doesn’t give any specific dosing or how to use them now.
Galdo-Torres. Daniel D; Andreu. Sabina S; Caballero. Oliver O; Hernández-Ruiz. Israel I; Ripa....
Vitamin D does more than help bones – it can calm inflammation and boost natural antibiotics like the peptide LL‑37, which might help fight herpes viruses. However, the review doesn’t give clear dosage rules, just says low vitamin D could raise infection risk and we still don’t know the exact level needed for protection.
Xie. Yingzhou Y; Shi. Yi-Han YH; Wang. Le-Le LL; Li. Cheng-Wei CW; Wu. Min M; Xu. Jin-Fu JF
The study shows that the natural antimicrobial peptide LL‑37, which can kill Pseudomonas aeruginosa in lab tests, becomes much less effective in the acidic, lactate‑rich airways of bronchiectasis patients because the bacteria release tiny vesicles that boost a chemical (HHQ) that blocks LL‑37 from sticking to the bacteria.
Stocks. Ben B; Quesada. Julia Prats JP; Mozzicato. Anthony M AM; Jacob. Carolina C; Jensen. Simone S...
After a hard workout, a natural peptide called LL‑37 (derived from CAMP) rises in the fluid around muscle fibers. In lab tests, adding LL‑37 to muscle cells made them grow bigger and turned on key growth pathways. The study shows LL‑37 might help muscle building, but it’s only been tested in cells, not people, and no dosing or safety info is available yet.
Shevchenko. Olga V OV; Voropaev. Alexander D AD; Bogdanov. Ivan V IV; Ovchinnikova. Tatiana V TV; Fi...
The study shows that the human antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 can work together with a plant‑derived peptide (NaD1) and an existing antifungal drug (caspofungin) to kill Candida yeast, even strains that resist common drugs. This effect was seen in lab tests, not in people, and it mainly involves breaking the fungus’s cell membrane and stopping it from sticking to cells or forming biofilms.
Stojkovic. Branislava B; Igic. Marija M; Jevtovic Stoimenov. Tatjana T; Trickovic Janjic. Olivera O;...
A year‑long study of 3‑year‑old kids found that the biggest risk factors for early cavities are things like poor oral hygiene, longer breastfeeding, not having a personal dentist, and the mother’s own dental health. The saliva tests for LL‑37 (a cathelicidin peptide) and other antimicrobial peptides didn’t predict cavities, so measuring or boosting LL‑37 isn’t useful for preventing tooth decay in preschoolers.
Coats. Stephen R SR; Su. Thet Hnin TH; Luderman Miller. Zoe Z; King. Alisa J AJ; Ortiz. Joshua J; Re...
The gum‑disease bug Porphyromonas gingivalis releases tiny vesicles packed with a special lipid (C4'-MPLA) that fires up immune receptors and causes inflammation. The human antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 can block this inflammatory signaling, but it doesn’t kill the bacteria unless the bacteria’s lipid is altered. So LL‑37 may help calm gum‑related inflammation but isn’t a direct antibacterial cure.
Zare. Mohadeseh M; Colomina Alfaro. Laura L; Bandiera. Antonella A; Mutlu. Esra Cansever EC; Grossin...
Scientists attached a short piece of the immune protein LL‑37 (called KR‑12) to a titanium surface using a stretchy protein that breaks down when the body’s enzymes are present. This lets the antimicrobial peptide be released on demand, killing most of the tested bacteria and helping bone cells grow on the surface.
The study shows that the natural immune peptide LL-37 can stick to the spike protein of the original SARS‑CoV‑2 virus, blocking a host enzyme (TMPRSS2) that the virus needs to fuse with cells. This stops infection in lab tests, but a mutation found in Omicron (N764K) makes the spike less able to bind LL‑37, so the peptide no longer blocks those newer variants.
Gonçalves. Ana Moura AM; Velho. Sónia S; Rodrigues. Bárbara B; Antunes. Maria Lobo ML...
In a study of ICU patients with severe COVID‑19, giving higher doses of vitamin D raised blood vitamin D levels and increased the vitamin D receptor in immune cells, but it did not boost the antimicrobial peptide LL‑37. People who already had higher LL‑37 when they arrived at the hospital were less likely to die, though this link weakened after accounting for other health issues.
The study shows that the antimicrobial peptide SAAP-148, a version of the human LL‑37 peptide, naturally groups together into a six‑unit (hexamer) structure that creates a hydrophobic core. This shape helps it stick into bacterial membranes and kill them, and it stays together even when it contacts membrane surfaces, sometimes forming fiber‑like strands.
Researchers found that a natural saliva protein called histatin‑1 can boost the cancer‑killing effect of the chemotherapy drug cisplatin in lab-grown head‑and‑neck cancer cells, allowing lower drug doses to work better.
Negewo. Netsanet A NA; Niessen. Natalie M NM; Baines. Penelope J PJ; Williams. Evan J EJ; Fibbens. N...
A short 10‑day course of inhaled recombinant DNase lowered the amount of DNA stuck in the mucus of people with asthma or COPD who had unusually high DNA levels, but it didn’t make them feel better or improve breathing tests.
The study shows that a skin‑applied compound called tapinarof, which turns on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), can calm down the over‑active immune cells (mast cells) that are driven by the peptide LL‑37 in rosacea. It does this by boosting the cell’s recycling system (autophagy), which in turn lowers inflammation markers.
A mouse study found that lacking the antimicrobial peptide CRAMP (the mouse version of human LL‑37) changed how the brain and gut react to severe infection. Mice without CRAMP showed lower inflammation‑related gene activity in brain areas and a different gut bacterial mix after sepsis, hinting that too much LL‑37 might worsen inflammation in this setting.
Ivarsson. John J; Pambianchi. Erika E; Pecorelli. Alessandra A; Lim. Yunsook Y; Valacchi. Giuseppe G
The study shows that breathing ozone or being in polluted air can cause skin cells to produce more of the antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 and related proteins, which may worsen skin inflammation. This effect happens because ozone creates oxidative stress, but using antioxidants or redox‑blocking agents can stop the increase.
Brummerhop. Alexandra Su AS; Lee. Chun-Teh CT; Weltman. Robin R; Tribble. Gena D GD; van der Hoeven....
The study found that a natural membrane from the placenta (amnion‑chorion) contains four antimicrobial proteins, including the peptide LL‑37. When tested alone, each protein only weakly killed the oral bacterium Streptococcus gordonii, but together they killed the bacteria much more effectively, showing a clear synergy. This suggests that combinations of such proteins work better than any single one for preventing bacterial growth on medical membranes.