Oral antimicrobial peptides: Types and role in the oral cavity

Zohaib Khurshid; Mustafa Naseem; Zeeshan Sheikh; Shariq Najeeb; Sana Shahab; Muhammad Sohail Zafar

doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2015.02.015

Oral antimicrobial peptides: Types and role in the oral cavity

Saudi Pharm J. 2016 Sep;24(5):515-524. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2015.02.015. Epub 2015 Mar 6.

Authors

Zohaib Khurshid¹, Mustafa Naseem², Zeeshan Sheikh³, Shariq Najeeb⁴, Sana Shahab⁵, Muhammad Sohail Zafar⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Materials and Metallurgy, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
² Department of Community Dentistry and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Ziauddin University, Pakistan.
³ Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
⁴ School of Dentistry, Al-Farabi Dental College, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Dental Materials Science, Sir Syed College of Medical Sciences for Girls, Pakistan.
⁶ Department of Restorative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Taibah University, Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a wide-ranging class of host-defense molecules that act early to contest against microbial invasion and challenge. These are small cationic peptides that play an important in the development of innate immunity. In the oral cavity, the AMPs are produced by the salivary glands and the oral epithelium and serve defensive purposes. The aim of this review was to discuss the types and functions of oral AMPs and their role in combating microorganisms and infections in the oral cavity.

Keywords: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs); Cathelicidins; Defensins; Dental applications; Histatins; Oral cavity.

Publication types

Review