An antimicrobial peptide of the cathelicidin family that provides innate immune defense by killing pathogens and modulating inflammation and wound healing.
Scientists found that a common protein on the surface of immune cells, GAPDH, grabs the antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 and pulls it inside the cell, where it triggers a cleaning process (autophagy) that helps kill the tuberculosis bacteria. This internal‑entry needs special cell membrane areas called lipid rafts and relies on calcium and a signaling pathway (p38 MAPK). If GAPDH is missing, LL‑37 can’t do its job, but adding GAPDH back restores the effect.
Lappin. M J MJ; Dellett. M M; Mills. K I KI; Lundy. F T FT; Irwin. C R CR
LL-37, a natural antimicrobial peptide, can calm down gum‑cell inflammation caused by bacterial toxins and also nudges these cells to release healing signals. In lab tests, low‑dose LL-37 (1‑10 µg/ml) cut down key inflammatory molecules, while a higher dose (50 µg/ml) switched on many genes linked to repair and immune signaling.
Farzi. Nastaran N; Oloomi. Mana M; Bahramali. Golnaz G; Siadat. Seyed Davar SD; Bouzari. Saeid S
The study shows that two lab‑made antimicrobial peptides, a piece of the natural LL‑37 protein (called GF‑17D3) and a modified insect peptide (Scolopendin A2), can kill tough, drug‑resistant bacteria like Pseudomonas, Staph and Acinetobacter, break down their protective biofilms, and work even better when paired with a standard antibiotic. In mice, the Scolopendin A2‑imipenem combo saved all the infected animals without harming human‑type cells, suggesting it could be a safe, powerful topical treatment, though more testing is needed before people can use it themselves.
Esposito. Tullio V F TVF; Rodríguez-Rodríguez. Cristina C; Blackadar. Colin C; Kłodz...
Scientists tracked where a labeled version of the human peptide LL‑37 goes in mice after injection. They found it disappears from the blood quickly, ending up mostly in the liver after an IV shot or in the kidneys after a sub‑cutaneous (under‑the‑skin) shot, with some temporary presence in the lungs and immune‑rich organs like lymph nodes and spleen.
Researchers found that a 17‑amino‑acid piece of the human peptide LL‑37, called GK‑17, can quickly kill the fungus Candida albicans even in body fluids like saliva and urine, stops it from sticking to surfaces, breaks down its protective biofilm, and is less likely to cause resistance than standard drugs, though it does cause some red‑blood‑cell damage at high doses.
Pashapour. Arsalan A; Sardari. Soroush S; Ehsani. Parastoo P
Researchers created two new short peptides, Catoid and its dimer Dicatoid, based on the human antimicrobial peptide LL‑37. In lab tests they killed eye‑infecting bacteria better than the original LL‑37 and were much less toxic to eye and skin cells, suggesting they could be safer eye‑drop ingredients, though they’re not yet approved for human use.
Fernandez. Geysson Javier GJ; Ramírez-Mejía. Julieta M JM; Castillo. Jorge Andrés JA;...
Vitamin D can boost the body's own antimicrobial peptide LL‑37, which in lab tests helped macrophage cells fight off Zika virus and also lowered inflammation signals. Adding LL‑37 directly also cut the number of infected cells, suggesting the peptide has antiviral potential.
John. Johnson V JV; Sharma. Navatha Shree NS; Tang. Guosheng G; Luo. Zeyu Z; Su. Yajuan Y; Weihs. Sh...
Scientists made a special sponge‑like material with tiny channels and added a short peptide that mimics the natural immune molecule LL‑37. In lab tests, the peptide helped skin cells move and grow faster, and in diabetic mice the combined sponge and peptide healed wounds quicker than any single treatment, likely by activating a healing‑related signaling pathway.
Lee. Seung Gee SG; Kiattiburut. Wongsakorn W; Burke Schinkel. Stephanie C SC; Angel. Jonathan J; Tan...
In mice, giving the antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 into the female reproductive tract several times didn’t hurt the vaginal, cervical or uterine tissue and didn’t affect the ability to get pregnant later, unlike a common spermicide that caused damage. This suggests LL‑37 could be a safe ingredient for a future birth‑control gel, but it’s still only tested in mice.
Researchers found that extracts from the flower of the Chinese medicinal plant Panax notoginseng can calm inflammation in skin cells exposed to UV light and boost the skin’s natural antimicrobial peptide LL‑37, suggesting a potential skin‑care benefit.
In mouse experiments, a natural immune peptide called cathelicidin (the human version is LL‑37) helped the liver heal after an overdose of acetaminophen, even when given later than the standard antidote N‑acetylcysteine (NAC). The peptide worked together with NAC and seemed to speed up the clean‑up of dead cells by neutrophils, leading to better survival.
The study shows that the natural peptide LL‑37 can turn on genes that promote blood vessel growth and inflammation, and it does this mainly by binding to a group of proteins called scavenger receptors. Blocking these receptors reduces LL‑37’s effects, suggesting a way to control its activity.
Wang. JingYu J; Sun. Yan Y; Chen. LiangHong L; Wang. YiChong Y; Shi. DongXin D; Wu. Yan Y; Gao. Xing...
In mice, a special form of salicylic acid (SSA) applied to skin reduced the redness, swelling, and barrier damage caused by the peptide LL‑37, which mimics rosacea. The treatment lowered inflammation markers and blocked a key immune pathway (NLRP3 inflammasome).
Adélaïde. Morgane M; Salnikov. Evgeniy E; Ramos-Martín. Francisco F; Aisenbrey. Chris...
SAAP-148, a peptide based on the natural LL‑37, sticks to bacterial membranes and flattens out like a carpet, breaking them apart without making holes, while it barely interacts with human cell membranes, suggesting it could be a safe way to kill tough, drug‑resistant bugs.
Wang. Yanan Y; Huang. Maoting M; Xu. Wanlin W; Li. Fulong F; Ma. Chunliang C; Tang. Xiaolin X
In diabetic rats with gum disease, giving the active form of vitamin D (calcitriol) boosted a cell‑clean‑up process called autophagy, lowered inflammation signals, and restored the natural antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 in gum cells, which together helped reduce periodontal damage.
White. John Kerr JK; Mohanty. Soumitra S; Muhammad. Taj T; de Arriba Sanchez de la Campa. Magdalena...
Scientists made a tiny, circular version of the natural peptide LL‑37 called CD4‑PP. In lab tests it kills both regular and drug‑resistant skin bacteria at very low concentrations and helps skin cells fight infection, even shrinking wound‑like areas in cell cultures.
The study shows that exposing human skin to ozone (a common air pollutant) raises the levels of the antimicrobial peptide LL‑37, along with other skin‑defense proteins. When the skin is kept under realistic stretch (tension) during the experiment, these changes are even stronger, and other inflammation‑related markers also shift. This tells us that both pollution and the physical state of the skin influence its innate immune response.
A bacterial lysate taken under the tongue appears to boost the body’s natural antimicrobial defenses in the airways, raising levels of key peptides like LL‑37 and beta‑defensin‑2 and helping cells stick together and grow. This suggests a simple supplement could support respiratory health, though the evidence is still early and not a full clinical proof.
A lab study showed that the active form of vitamin D (1α,25‑dihydroxyvitamin D3) can make lung cells less likely to let the melioidosis bug get inside, cut down the formation of giant infected cells, boost the body’s own antimicrobial peptide LL‑37, and calm down several inflammation signals. While this is only cell‑culture data, it hints that good vitamin D levels might help the body fight this infection better.
The peptide COG1410 can kill a lab strain of mycobacteria (M. smegmatis) at a modest dose, works by breaking the bacterial membrane, reduces biofilm, and helps antibiotics work better, but it’s also fairly toxic to human cells and doesn’t affect the real TB bacteria, so it’s not ready for personal use yet.