The airway epithelium protects us from environmental insults, which we encounter with
every breath. Not only does it passively filter large particles, it also senses potential danger …

Defensins are a family of cationic antimicrobial peptides active against a broad range of
infectious microbes including bacteria, viruses and fungi, playing important roles as innate …

Short cationic amphiphilic peptides with antimicrobial and/or immunomodulatory activities
are present in virtually every life form, as an important component of (innate) immune …

With the rapid rise in the emergence of bacterial strains resistant to multiple classes of
antimicrobial agents, there is an urgent need to develop novel antimicrobial therapies to …

Chitosan is a polysaccharide biopolymer that combines a unique set of versatile
physicochemical and biological characteristics which allow for a wide range of applications …

Defensins are peptidic components of the innate immune system of plants and animals. In
mammals, defensins have evolved to have a central function in the host defense properties …

Endogenous cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are among the most ancient and
efficient components of host defence. It is somewhat of an enigma that bacteria have not …

Diverse commensal populations are now regarded as key to physiological homeostasis and
protection against disease. Although bacteria are the most abundant component of …

Our world is now facing a multitude of novel infectious diseases. Bacterial infections are
treated with antibiotics, albeit with increasing difficulty as many of the more common causes …

As a family of cationic host defense peptides, defensins are mainly synthesized by Paneth
cells, neutrophils, and epithelial cells, contributing to host defense. Their biological functions …