Institute of Dermatology, Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok, Thailand.
Atopy (Allergy) Research Center, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Curr Pharm Des. 2018;24(10):1092-1099. doi: 10.2174/1381612824666180327164445.
The epidermis functions as a first-line defense barrier that protects the body from the external environment. As a chemical hindrance, the epidermis possesses acidic pH, highly organized lipids and various host defense peptides, also known as antimicrobial peptides. Human β-defensins (hBDs), one of the most important host defense peptide families found in our skin, are well-known for their broad-spectrum microbicidal activities. However, there is a growing body of evidence indicating that hBDs also orchestrate several immunomodulatory functions and are the cornerstone that bridges the innate and adaptive immune responses during skin inflammation and infection. Moreover, recent work identified the potential role of hBDs in the regulation and maintenance of the skin barrier function. In this review, we describe the current knowledge concerning the role of hBDs in skin barriers and discuss the potential clinical implications of these peptides in cutaneous biology. Understanding the roles of hBDs in the regulation and maintenance of skin barriers may aid in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for skin conditions where the skin barrier is impaired, such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.
表皮作为第一道防线，保护人体免受外界环境的侵害。作为一种化学障碍，表皮具有酸性 pH 值、高度组织化的脂质和各种宿主防御肽，也称为抗菌肽。人 β-防御素（hBDs）是我们皮肤中最重要的宿主防御肽家族之一，以广谱杀菌活性而闻名。然而，越来越多的证据表明，hBDs 还协调多种免疫调节功能，是连接皮肤炎症和感染期间先天和适应性免疫反应的基石。此外，最近的研究确定了 hBDs 在调节和维持皮肤屏障功能中的潜在作用。在这篇综述中，我们描述了 hBDs 在皮肤屏障中的作用的现有知识，并讨论了这些肽在皮肤生物学中的潜在临床意义。了解 hBDs 在调节和维持皮肤屏障中的作用可能有助于为皮肤屏障受损的皮肤疾病（如特应性皮炎和银屑病）开发新的治疗策略。
