Tran Tuan Hiep, Le Thanh Huong, Tran Thi Thu Phuong
Faculty of Pharmacy, Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH), Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), Hanoi, Vietnam.
J Pept Sci. 2025 Feb;31(2):e3664. doi: 10.1002/psc.3664.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are crucial constituents of inherent immunity and serve as vital components of human host defense, playing a pivotal role in combating invading microbial pathogens. Beyond their antimicrobial functions, AMPs also exhibit various other biological activities including apoptosis induction, wound healing promotion, and immune modulation. These peptides are found in various exposed tissues or surfaces throughout the body, such as eyes, skin, mouth, ears, respiratory tract, lungs, digestive, and urinary system. Additionally, certain AMPs such as LL-37, HNP, and lactoferrin have shown potential as candidates for anticancer activity. Given the limited selectivity between normal and cancer cells exhibited by many current immunotherapeutic agents, the inherent properties of AMPs make them promising candidates for cancer treatment. Their abundance, bioavailability, safety profile, efficiency, and harmony with the host immune system position them as attractive tools in the fight against cancer. This review is aimed at exploring the potential anticancer properties of AMPs and elucidating their relationship with immunology and cancer immunotherapy.
抗菌肽（AMPs）是固有免疫的关键组成部分，是人类宿主防御的重要成分，在对抗入侵的微生物病原体中发挥着关键作用。除了抗菌功能外，抗菌肽还表现出多种其他生物活性，包括诱导细胞凋亡、促进伤口愈合和免疫调节。这些肽存在于全身各种暴露的组织或表面，如眼睛、皮肤、口腔、耳朵、呼吸道、肺部、消化系统和泌尿系统。此外，某些抗菌肽，如LL-37、人嗜中性粒细胞肽（HNP）和乳铁蛋白，已显示出作为抗癌活性候选物的潜力。鉴于许多当前免疫治疗药物在正常细胞和癌细胞之间表现出的选择性有限，抗菌肽的固有特性使其成为癌症治疗的有希望的候选物。它们的丰富性、生物利用度、安全性、有效性以及与宿主免疫系统的协调性，使它们成为对抗癌症的有吸引力的工具。本综述旨在探索抗菌肽的潜在抗癌特性，并阐明它们与免疫学和癌症免疫治疗的关系。
