防御素的生物活性及其作用机制

Biological activities and mechanisms of defensins

防御素是一类富含精氨酸的阳离子多肽,广泛分布于自然界各种生物体内,是生物体先天性免疫系统的重要组成成分。根据防御素的来源及结构可将其分为脊椎动物防御素(α-防御素、β-防御素和θ-防御素)、植物防御素和昆虫防御素,不同种类的防御素有相同的结构共性,也有其特有的结构特征。目前的研究发现,防御素具有抗菌、抗病毒、抗肿瘤、炎症调节等多种生物学活性,具有很高的临床应用价值,但对其作用机制的研究并不详尽。因此,本文总结了防御素的分类、分布及不同种类防御素特有的结构特点,阐述了防御素主要的生物活性及其不同的作用机制,介绍了目前防御素在临床研究中的方向及进展,并提出防御素未来可以作为新药物设计模板、疾病诊断指标、疫苗佐剂、肿瘤治疗靶标等一系列应用设想。

Defensins are a group of cationic polypeptides rich in Arginine.They are widely distributed in various organisms in nature and constitute an important component of the innate immune system.According to their sources and structures,defensins can be divided into vertebrate defensins(α-defensins,β-defensins and θ-defensins),plant defensins and insect defensins.Different kinds of defensins have structural similarities with their own unique characteristics.Furthermore,current research has revealed that defensins have a variety of biological activities such as anti-bacteria,anti-virus,anti-tumor,inflammation regulation,and high clinical application value.However,the research on its action mechanism is not conclusive.Therefore,in this paper,we summarized the classification and distribution of defensins as well as the unique structural characteristics of each kind.Also we elaborated the main biological activities of defensins and their different action mechanisms,introduced the direction and progress of the current clinical research of defensins,and proposed a series of application scenarios that defensins could be used as new drug design templates,disease diagnosis indicators,vaccine adjuvants and tumor treatment targets in the future.