Antimicrobial peptides form part of the innate immune response and play a vital role in host defense against pathogens. Here we report a new antimicrobial peptide belonging to the cathelicidin family, cathelicidin-MH (cath-MH), from the skin of Microhyla heymonsivogt frog. Cath-MH has a single α-helical structure in membrane-mimetic environments and is antimicrobial against fungi and bacteria, especially Gram-negative bacteria. In contrast to other cathelicidins, cath-MH suppresses coagulation by affecting the enzymatic activities of tissue plasminogen activator, plasmin, β-tryptase, elastase, thrombin, and chymase. Cath-MH protects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis, effectively ameliorating multiorgan pathology and inflammatory cytokine through its antimicrobial, LPS-neutralizing, coagulation suppressing effects as well as suppression of MAPK signaling. Taken together, these data suggest that cath-MH is an attractive candidate therapeutic agent for the treatment of septic shock.

Department of Respiratory Medicine Zhujiang Hospital Southern Medical University Guangzhou China

Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice Branisovska Czech Republic

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Southern Medical University Guangzhou China

Institute of Parasitology Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Sciences Branisovska Czech Republic

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Cathelicidins: Opportunities and Challenges in Skin Therapeutics and Clinical Translation

Cathelicidin-HG Alleviates Sepsis-Induced Platelet Dysfunction by Inhibiting GPVI-Mediated Platelet Activation