PMID- 10588992
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20000113
LR  - 20190723
IS  - 0091-6749 (Print)
IS  - 0091-6749 (Linking)
VI  - 104
IP  - 6
DP  - 1999 Dec
TI  - Defensins: key players or bystanders in infection, injury, and repair in the
      lung?
PG  - 1131-8
AB  - Antimicrobial peptides have been identified as key elements in the innate host
      defense against infection. Recent studies have indicated that the activity of
      antimicrobial peptides may be decreased in cystic fibrosis, suggesting a major
      role for these peptides in host defense against infection. One of the most
      intensively studied classes of antimicrobial peptides are defensins. Defensins
      comprise a family of cationic peptides that in human subjects can be divided into
      the alpha- and beta-defensin subfamilies. The alpha-defensins are produced by
      neutrophils and intestinal Paneth's cells, whereas beta-defensins are mainly
      produced by epithelial cells. Although studies on beta-defensins have so far
      focused on their antimicrobial activity, studies on alpha-defensins have
      suggested a role of these peptides in inflammation, wound repair, and specific
      immune responses. alpha-Defensins, which accumulate in airway secretions of
      patients with various chronic inflammatory lung disorders, were shown to be
      cytotoxic toward airway epithelial cells and to induce chemokine secretion in
      several cell types. Furthermore, the capacity of alpha-defensins to promote
      bacterial adherence to epithelial cells in vitro further supports a role for
      these peptides in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and
      cystic fibrosis. Increased numbers of neutrophils are also present in the airways
      of patients with asthma, suggesting that neutrophils are involved in the
      pathogenesis of this disease. Because defensins are able to induce histamine
      release by mast cells and increase the airway hyperresponsiveness to histamine,
      it is tempting to speculate that defensins may also contribute to the
      inflammatory processes in asthma. Besides these proinflammatory effects,
      alpha-defensins may also display anti-inflammatory activities, including
      regulation of complement activation and proteinase inhibitor secretion. Finally, 
      defensins may be involved in wound repair because defensins increase epithelial
      cell proliferation. Thus recent defensin research has revealed potential links
      between the innate and acquired immune system.
FAU - van Wetering, S
AU  - van Wetering S
AD  - Department of Pulmonology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The
      Netherlands.
FAU - Sterk, P J
AU  - Sterk PJ
FAU - Rabe, K F
AU  - Rabe KF
FAU - Hiemstra, P S
AU  - Hiemstra PS
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Review
PL  - United States
TA  - J Allergy Clin Immunol
JT  - The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
JID - 1275002
RN  - 0 (Anti-Infective Agents)
RN  - 0 (Defensins)
RN  - 0 (Proteins)
SB  - AIM
SB  - IM
MH  - *Anti-Infective Agents
MH  - Antibody Formation
MH  - Defensins
MH  - Humans
MH  - Pneumonia/etiology
MH  - *Proteins
MH  - Wound Healing/drug effects
RF  - 57
EDAT- 1999/12/10 00:00
MHDA- 1999/12/10 00:01
CRDT- 1999/12/10 00:00
PHST- 1999/12/10 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1999/12/10 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1999/12/10 00:00 [entrez]
AID - S0091-6749(99)70004-7 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70004-7 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999 Dec;104(6):1131-8. doi:
      10.1016/s0091-6749(99)70004-7.