Antimicrobial Peptides in Health and Disease (Review)

The review describes the latest data on the role of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in health and disease, as well as their structure and mechanisms of action. AMPs mediate protection by both direct lysis of bacteria and also by regulation of inflammation and chemotaxis, thus demonstrating immunomodulatory properties. A large amount of data shows that AMPs play an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple chronic diseases with genetic predisposition, such as atopic dermatitis, rosacea, and scleroderma.