Epidermal barrier function

摘要

Domenico Santoro (USA) remarked that only a small amount of information about antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is available in veterinary dermatology compared to human dermatology. He therefore chose to present an overview of current knowledge about AMPsin animals. Antimicrobial peptides are small cationic proteins and, so far, 1500 AMPs have been described in different species. The most studied groups include defensins alpha, beta and theta; the greatest focus is on beta-defensins, cath-elicidins andS100 proteins. AMPs are predominantly localized in the epithelia including skin, mucosae, testes and eyes, where they serve as defence mechanisms against environmental pathogens. They are also involved in toxin neutralization, function as chemokines, serve as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity, and are involved in wound healing and skin colour.