Schauber Jürgen, Gallo Richard L
Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Sep;124(3 Suppl 2):R13-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.07.014.
Our skin is constantly challenged by microbes but is rarely infected. Cutaneous production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is a primary system for protection, and expression of some AMPs further increases in response to microbial invasion. Cathelicidins are unique AMPs that protect the skin through 2 distinct pathways: (1) direct antimicrobial activity and (2) initiation of a host response resulting in cytokine release, inflammation, angiogenesis, and reepithelialization. Cathelicidin dysfunction emerges as a central factor in the pathogenesis of several cutaneous diseases, including atopic dermatitis, in which cathelicidin is suppressed; rosacea, in which cathelicidin peptides are abnormally processed to forms that induce inflammation; and psoriasis, in which cathelicidin peptide converts self-DNA to a potent stimulus in an autoinflammatory cascade. Recent work identified vitamin D3 as a major factor involved in the regulation of cathelicidin. Therapies targeting control of cathelicidin and other AMPs might provide new approaches in the management of infectious and inflammatory skin diseases.
我们的皮肤不断受到微生物的挑战，但很少被感染。皮肤抗菌肽（AMP）的产生是一种主要的保护系统，并且一些AMP的表达会随着微生物入侵而进一步增加。cathelicidin是独特的抗菌肽，通过两种不同途径保护皮肤：（1）直接抗菌活性；（2）引发宿主反应，导致细胞因子释放、炎症、血管生成和上皮再形成。Cathelicidin功能障碍已成为几种皮肤疾病发病机制的核心因素，包括特应性皮炎（其中cathelicidin受到抑制）、玫瑰痤疮（其中cathelicidin肽被异常加工成诱导炎症的形式）和银屑病（其中cathelicidin肽在自身炎症级联反应中将自身DNA转化为强效刺激物）。最近的研究确定维生素D3是参与cathelicidin调节的主要因素。针对cathelicidin和其他抗菌肽控制的疗法可能为感染性和炎症性皮肤病的管理提供新方法。
