Role of Antimicrobial Peptides in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Polymers

Jan-Michel Otte¹ 

[1] Department of Internal Medicine I, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University, Gudrunstr. 56, 44791 Bochum, Germany

关键词: inflammatory bowel disease;    defensin;    cathelicidin;   

DOI  :  10.3390/polym3042010

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by a chronic relapsing inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa. The etiology and pathogenesis of these disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are incompletely understood. Recently, antimicrobial peptides, which are expressed by leukocytes and epithelia, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD. Antimicrobial peptides are pivotal for intestinal defense, shaping the composition of the luminal flora and contributing thereby to the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. Apart from their antimicrobial activity affecting commensal bacteria, immunomodulatory properties of antimicrobial peptides have been identified, which link innate and adaptive immune response. There is increasing evidence that alterations in mucosal levels of these peptides contribute to IBD pathogenensis.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.