Defensins in periodontal health.
Date
2015-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Defensins are abundant and widely distributed peptides in human and animal tissues that are
involved in host defence. Defensins not only have the ability to strengthen the innate immune
system but can also enhance the adaptive immune system by chemotaxis of monocytes,
T-lymphocytes, dendritic cells and mast cells to the infection site. Defensins also improves the
capacity of macrophage phagocytosis. A greater understanding of how these peptides act in
the healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis conditions would definitely open new opportunities
for identifica¬tion, prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases. This discussion focuses
on recent studies about biological function of defensins in human diseases and animal models.
Description
Keywords
Defensins, inflammation, periodontal diseases
Citation
Bedi Taran, Mahendra Jaideep, Ambalavanan N. Defensins in periodontal health. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2015 July-Aug; 26(4): 340-344.