An antimicrobial peptide of the cathelicidin family that provides innate immune defense by killing pathogens and modulating inflammation and wound healing.
Pramanik. Avijit A; Sharma. Poonam C PC; Patibandla. Shamily S; Gao. Ye Y; Ruppa-Kasani. Vinod V; Go...
Scientists attached the natural antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 (and another peptide, HNP1) to tiny graphene quantum dots and found they can stick to the COVID‑19 delta variant’s spike protein, blocking it from attaching to the ACE2 receptor on cells and stopping a lab‑made virus from entering those cells.
Egea. Virginia V; Megens. Remco Theodorus Adrianus RTA; Santovito. Donato D; Wantha. Sarawuth S; Bra...
Scientists found that a natural antimicrobial peptide called LL‑37, which is abundant in artery plaques, can make human stem cells (hMSCs) produce more of a tiny RNA (let‑7f) and a receptor (FPR2). This makes the stem cells move toward the plaque and, when they touch plaque material, they start releasing signaling molecules and turn into muscle‑like cells that might help stabilize the plaque. The work is still early‑stage and done in cells and mice, not people.
Liu. Shiqi S; Brul. Stanley S; Zaat. Sebastian A J SAJ
Scientists showed that two lab‑made peptides based on the human protein LL‑37 can quickly kill active Bacillus subtilis bacteria and the hard‑to‑kill persister cells, but they don’t work on the bacteria’s dormant spores. They also created a way to pull out persister cells for study.
Hobbs. Alexis M AM; Kluthe. Kennedy E KE; Carlson. Kimberly A KA; Nuxoll. Austin S AS
When Staph aureus can't run its TCA cycle, it becomes far better at surviving both antibiotics and natural immune peptides like LL‑37, making infections harder to clear.
Kiatsurayanon. Chanisa C; Peng. Ge G; Niyonsaba. François F
This review says that antimicrobial peptides like LL‑37 can both help and hurt skin health. In some skin cancers they are higher and may even help melanoma cells spread, while other peptides can kill cancer cells in other organs. The overall picture is mixed and still unclear.
A live oral Shigella vaccine (WRSS1) was tested in Bangladeshi adults and children and was found to be safe, producing antibodies and immune signaling changes. The study also measured the natural antimicrobial peptide LL‑37, which fell in children after vaccination but stayed the same or rose in adults. The results don’t provide a clear way to use LL‑37 for health‑hacking or longevity purposes.
Jen. Freda E-C FE; El-Deeb. Ibrahim M IM; Zalucki. Yaramah M YM; Edwards. Jennifer L JL; Walker. Mar...
Scientists found that a drug called PBT2, originally being studied for Alzheimer’s, can help the body’s natural antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 kill antibiotic‑resistant gonorrhea bacteria, and it also makes the bacteria more sensitive to the antibiotic tetracycline. This works by messing up the bacteria’s membrane and causing protein problems, but it’s a lab finding, not a ready‑to‑use health hack.
French. John M JM; McIndoo. Eric R ER; Schlund. Caden M CM; Field. Kevin P KP; Wolfe. Alison R AR; S...
Researchers found that a bacterial enzyme called Mcs1 can cut the human antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 in lab tests, but removing this enzyme from the bacteria didn’t change how sick mice got, suggesting the enzyme isn’t a major player in disease and offers no new actionable health tip.
Kim. Tae Hyung TH; Kim. Ji Su JS; Kwon. Ji Eun JE; Park. Bumhee B; Lee. Eun-So ES
The study examined skin samples from people with palmoplantar pustulosis to see if they could be split into two groups based on protein markers, including the antimicrobial peptide LL‑37. Using statistical analysis, they found three patterns of protein expression, but LL‑37 didn’t help tell the groups apart, and the findings don’t suggest any new treatments or supplement ideas.
The paper describes a cheap, easy lab method using engineered HEK cells to test lots of tiny proteins (peptides) for their ability to turn on a mast‑cell receptor called MRGPRX2, which is involved in immune responses. It doesn’t give any direct advice on using LL‑37 or other peptides in humans, just a way to screen them in the lab.
Zabara. Mahsa M; Ren. Qun Q; Amenitsch. Heinz H; Salentinig. Stefan S
Scientists made a thin, antimicrobial coating by mixing a natural skin peptide called LL‑37 with a food‑grade lipid. The coating can slowly release the peptide and kills two common bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, in lab tests. While the idea is interesting, making such coatings needs specialized equipment and isn’t something most DIY health enthusiasts can apply directly.
Mori. Takeshi T; Hazekawa. Mai M; Yoshida. Miyako M; Nishinakagawa. Takuya T; Uchida. Takahiro T; Is...
Researchers attached a small piece of the human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 to a biodegradable polymer (PLGA) to make tiny micelle particles that get into cancer cells more easily. In lab tests on four aggressive cancer cell lines, this new formulation reduced cell growth, movement, and invasion better than the peptide alone. The work is still at the cell‑culture stage and not ready for any DIY or clinical use.
Oliveira. Priscila N PN; Courrol. Daniella S DS; Chura-Chambi. Rosa Maria RM; Morganti. Ligia L; Sou...
Pathogenic Leptospira bacteria release enzymes that break down the human immune peptide LL‑37, while harmless strains do not. This breakdown can be stopped with a metal‑chelator drug, and the harmful bacteria are more resistant to LL‑37’s killing power than the harmless ones.
The study shows that in severe drug‑induced skin reactions (Stevens‑Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis), immune cells called neutrophils release a protein called LL‑37, which makes skin cells more likely to die, creating a vicious cycle of damage. This process is specific to these serious reactions and isn’t seen in milder skin issues.
Cho. Junho J; Costa. Stephen K SK; Wierzbicki. Rachel M RM; Rigby. William F C WFC; Cheung. Ambrose...
The study shows that Staphylococcus aureus has a built‑in system (GraRS‑VraG) that can sense and defend against the human antimicrobial peptide LL‑37, and that a specific part of the VraG protein blocks the bacteria’s alarm system, making the bacteria harder to kill. Removing that part makes the bacteria more vulnerable to LL‑37.
Lee. Jihyun J; Jung. Yujin Y; Jeong. Seo Won SW; Jeong. Ga Hee GH; Moon. Gue Tae GT; Kim. Miri M
The study shows that a skin‑condition called rosacea is linked to higher activity of two proteins, YAP and TAZ, and that blocking these proteins in mice reduces redness and blood‑vessel growth caused by the peptide LL‑37. However, the blockers used are experimental and not available for personal use, so the findings don’t translate into a ready‑to‑try treatment for most people.
Hernández-Castañeda. Maria Andrea MA; Lavergne. Marilyne M; Casanova. Pierina P; Nydegger....
The study shows that when red blood cells are infected by malaria parasites, they lose cholesterol, which makes them easier for the human antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 to break open. However, the same infected cells also show a molecule called phosphatidylserine on their surface, which protects them from another immune protein, perforin. This membrane reshaping decides how vulnerable the infected cells are to immune attacks.
Song. Pu P; Peng. Ge G; Yue. Hainan H; Ogawa. Takasuke T; Ikeda. Shigaku S; Okumura. Ko K; Ogawa. Hi...
The study shows that a toxin made by the fungus Candida albicans, called candidalysin, triggers mast cells in the skin to release inflammatory signals. This activation depends on a receptor called dectin-1 and downstream MAPK pathways. In people with candidiasis, both candidalysin and the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 are found near mast cells.
Li. Rui R; Li. Xiang X; Ni. Ming M; Fu. Jun J; Xu. Chi C; Chai. Wei W; Chen. Ji-Ying JY
The study looked at ten proteins in joint fluid to see which could tell if a joint replacement is infected. The peptide LL‑37 didn’t work well for this purpose, especially when people also have inflammatory joint disease, so it isn’t a useful marker for detecting infection.
Mori. Takeshi T; Yoshida. Miyako M; Hazekawa. Mai M; Ishibashi. Daisuke D; Hatanaka. Yoshiro Y; Kake...
Scientists made tiny particles that combine a piece of the human antimicrobial peptide LL‑37 (called CKR12) with a drug called miconazole. These particles kill the fungus Candida albicans better than the drug alone or the peptide alone, by breaking both the fungus's cell wall and membrane.