Hein Matthew J A, Kvansakul Marc, Lay Fung T, Phan Thanh Kha, Hulett Mark D
Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia.
Biochem Soc Trans. 2022 Feb 28;50(1):423-437. doi: 10.1042/BST20200884.
Defensins are a class of host defence peptides (HDPs) that often harbour antimicrobial and anticancer activities, making them attractive candidates as novel therapeutics. In comparison with current antimicrobial and cancer treatments, defensins uniquely target specific membrane lipids via mechanisms distinct from other HDPs. Therefore, defensins could be potentially developed as therapeutics with increased selectivity and reduced susceptibility to the resistance mechanisms of tumour cells and infectious pathogens. In this review, we highlight recent advances in defensin research with a particular focus on membrane lipid-targeting in cancer and infection settings. In doing so, we discuss strategies to harness lipid-binding defensins for anticancer and anti-infective therapies.
防御素是一类宿主防御肽（HDPs），通常具有抗菌和抗癌活性，使其成为新型治疗药物的有吸引力的候选者。与目前的抗菌和癌症治疗方法相比，防御素通过与其他HDPs不同的机制独特地靶向特定的膜脂。因此，防御素有可能被开发成具有更高选择性且对肿瘤细胞和感染性病原体的耐药机制敏感性降低的治疗药物。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了防御素研究的最新进展，特别关注癌症和感染环境中的膜脂靶向作用。在此过程中，我们讨论了利用脂质结合防御素进行抗癌和抗感染治疗的策略。
