Progress in immunomodulatory effects and their mechanisms of insect antimicrobial peptides / 医学研究生学报

ABSTRACT

Insect antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are small cationic molecules with various biological activities induced by many factors. Insect AMPs, which are essential components of insect innate immune system, may have functionsof anti-infection, anti-tumor and immune modulation in the medicine field. Many different types of insect AMPs, such as cecropin-like AMPs extracted from Saturniidae, defensin-like AMPs purified from Catharsius molossus L., and Pro-rich and Gly-rich peptides from drosophilid fly and silkworm, respectively, have been identified, and been reported to have anti-infective and anti-tumor functions. However, relatively few reports have focused on the immunomodulatory activities and their possible mechanisms of insect AMPs. It has been found that insect AMPs could activate immune cells, enhance the activities of NK cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, induce cytokine production, and inhibit the activities of inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, Toll-like receptor pathways, nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway were also reported to be involved in their immunomodulatory mechanisms. In this paper, the immunomodulatory effects of some classes of insect AMPs (Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera are involved),and their signaling pathway - related mechanisms are reviewed. It was hoped that these data could provide references for the future research in the field of insect AMPs.