Activities of human defensins
| Peptide | Innate and adaptive immune effects |
|---|---|
| ACTH, Adrenocorticotrophic hormone; GPCR, G protein coupled receptor; iDC, immature dendritic cell; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; LPB, lipopolysaccharide binding protein; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; TLR, toll-like receptor; TNF, tumour necrosis factor. | |
| α Defensins (HNP1–3) | Antimicrobial and antiviral (anti-HIV-1)4–8,10,39 |
| Regulate complement activation40,41 | |
| Degranulate mast cells42 | |
| Induce pulmonary epithelial cell proliferation in vitro43 | |
| Inhibit glucocorticoid production by blocking ACTH receptor26 | |
| Block LPS binding to LBP44 | |
| Chemotactic for naive resting T cells, CD8 T cells, immature dendritic cells27 | |
| Immunoadjuvant effects in mice30,31 | |
| Augment cytokine production (IL5, IL6, IL10, and IFNγ) | |
| Promote antigen induced ex vivo splenocyte proliferation | |
| Enhance antigen induced cellular and humoral immune responses | |
| β Defensins (HBD1–3) | Antimicrobial4–8 |
| Induce prostaglandin D2 production29 | |
| Degranulate mast cells29 | |
| Chemotactic for CCR6 dendritic cells25 | |
| HBD3 also acts on unknown GPCR on monocytes15 | |
| Immunoadjuvant effects in mice32,33 | |
| Enhance tumour antigen induced humoral and cellular immunity | |
| HBD2 induces cytokines and chemokines | |
| HBD2 also activates TLR4 iDCs | |