β-Defensin-4 is a peptide with antimicrobial properties that protects the skin and mucosal membranes of the respiratory, genitourinary, and gastrointestinal tracts.
1 It induces migration of monocytes
in vitro when used at a concentration of 10 nM but does not affect migration of neutrophils and eosinophils.
2 β-Defensin-4 (30 μg/ml) stimulates gene expression and production of IL-6, IL-10, CXCL10, CCL2, MIP-3α, and RANTES by keratinocytes.
3 It also stimulates calcium mobilization, migration, and proliferation of keratinocytes when used at concentrations of 30, 10, and 40 μg/ml, respectively. β-Defensin-4 induces IL-31 production by human peripheral blood-derived mast cells
in vitro when used at a concentration of 10 μg/ml and by rat mast cells
in vivo following a 500 ng intradermal dose.
4 It also inhibits growth of
E. coli,
P. aeruginosa, and
S. aureus with lethal concentration (LC) values of 5, 12, and 15 μM, respectively, of
S. carnosus (MIC = 4.5 μg/ml), and of
C. albicans with a minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) value of 7.5 μM.
2,5
