Yamasaki Kenshi, Gallo Richard L
Division of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego MC 9111B, San Diego, California 92161, USA.
Eur J Dermatol. 2008 Jan-Feb;18(1):11-21. doi: 10.1684/ejd.2008.0304. Epub 2007 Dec 18.
The skin continuously encounters microbial pathogens. To defend against this, cells of the epidermis and dermis have evolved several innate strategies to prevent infection. Antimicrobial peptides are one of the primary mechanisms used by the skin in the early stages of immune defense. In general, antimicrobial peptides have broad antibacterial activity against gram-positive and negative bacteria and also show antifungal and antiviral activity. The antimicrobial activity of most peptides occurs as a result of unique structural characteristics that enable them to disrupt the microbial membrane while leaving human cell membranes intact. However, antimicrobial peptides also act on host cells to stimulate cytokine production, cell migration, proliferation, maturation, and extracellular matrix synthesis. The production by human skin of antimicrobial peptides such as defensins and cathelicidins occurs constitutively but also greatly increases after infection, inflammation or injury. Some skin diseases show altered expression of antimicrobial peptides, partially explaining the pathophysiology of these diseases. Thus, current research suggests that understanding how antimicrobial peptides modify susceptibility to microbes, influence skin inflammation, and modify wound healing, provides greater insight into the pathophysiology of skin disorders and offers new therapeutic opportunities.
皮肤不断接触微生物病原体。为抵御此情况，表皮和真皮细胞已进化出多种先天策略来预防感染。抗菌肽是皮肤在免疫防御早期使用的主要机制之一。一般来说，抗菌肽对革兰氏阳性菌和阴性菌具有广泛的抗菌活性，还表现出抗真菌和抗病毒活性。大多数肽的抗菌活性源于其独特的结构特征，这些特征使它们能够破坏微生物膜，同时保持人类细胞膜完整。然而，抗菌肽也作用于宿主细胞，刺激细胞因子产生、细胞迁移、增殖、成熟和细胞外基质合成。人类皮肤组成性地产生防御素和cathelicidin等抗菌肽，但在感染、炎症或损伤后也会大幅增加。一些皮肤病显示抗菌肽表达改变，部分解释了这些疾病的病理生理学。因此，当前研究表明，了解抗菌肽如何改变对微生物的易感性、影响皮肤炎症以及改变伤口愈合，能更深入地洞察皮肤疾病的病理生理学，并提供新的治疗机会。
