Scott M G, Hancock R E
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Crit Rev Immunol. 2000;20(5):407-31.
Many species of life contain cationic antimicrobial peptides as components of their immune systems. The antimicrobial activity of these peptides has been studied extensively, and many peptides have a broad spectrum of activity not only against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria but also against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Such cationic antimicrobial peptides can also act in synergy with host molecules, such as other cationic peptides and proteins, lysozyme, and also conventional antibiotics, to kill microbes. It has been found that certain peptides are produced in large quantities at sites of infection/inflammation, and their expression can be induced by bacterial products such as endotoxic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). These peptides often have a high affinity for bacterial products, such as LPS, allowing them to modulate the host response and reduce the inflammatory response in sepsis. More recently, they have been found to interact directly with host cells to modulate the inflammatory process and innate defenses.
许多生物物种都含有阳离子抗菌肽作为其免疫系统的组成部分。这些肽的抗菌活性已得到广泛研究，许多肽不仅对革兰氏阴性菌和革兰氏阳性菌具有广谱活性，而且对抗生素耐药菌、真菌、病毒和寄生虫也有活性。这类阳离子抗菌肽还可与宿主分子协同作用，如其他阳离子肽和蛋白质、溶菌酶以及传统抗生素，以杀灭微生物。已发现某些肽在感染/炎症部位大量产生，其表达可由细菌产物如内毒素脂多糖（LPS）和促炎细胞因子如肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）诱导。这些肽通常对细菌产物如LPS具有高亲和力，使其能够调节宿主反应并减轻脓毒症中的炎症反应。最近，人们发现它们可直接与宿主细胞相互作用，以调节炎症过程和固有防御。
