Human Beta Defensins and Cancer: Contradictions and Common Ground

Overview

Journal Front Oncol

Specialty Oncology

Date 2019 May 28

PMID 31131258

Citations 35

Authors

Santosh K Ghosh

Thomas S McCormick

Aaron Weinberg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Human beta-defensins (hBDs, -1, 2, 3) are a family of epithelial cell derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that protect mucosal membranes from microbial challenges. In addition to their antimicrobial activities, they possess other functions; e.g., cell activation, proliferation, regulation of cytokine/chemokine production, migration, differentiation, angiogenesis, and wound healing processes. It has also become apparent that defensin levels change with the development of neoplasia. However, inconsistent observations published by various laboratories make it difficult to reach a consensus as to the direction of the dysregulation and role the hBDs may play in various cancers. This is particularly evident in studies focusing on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). By segregating each hBD by cancer type, interrogating methodologies, and scrutinizing the subject cohorts used in the studies, we have endeavored to identify the "take home message" for each one of the three hBDs. We discovered that (1) consensus-driven findings indicate that hBD-1 and-2 are down- while hBD-3 is up-regulated in OSCC; (2) hBD dysregulation is cancer-type specific; (3) the inhibition/activation effect an hBD has on cancer cell lines is related to the direction of the hBD dysregulation (up or down) in the cancer from which the cell lines derive. Therefore, studies addressing hBD dysregulation in various cancers are not generalizable and comparisons should be avoided. Systematic delineation of the fate and role of the hBDs in a specific cancer type may lead to innovative ways to use defensins as prospective biomarkers for diagnostic/prognostic purposes and/or in novel therapeutic modalities.

Citing Articles

Pioneering Clinical Investigation: Beta Defensin Expression in Patients of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Oral Cavity as a Forward-Looking Validation for Molecular Treatment.

Mohan V, Patro S, Purohit P, Sharma V, Soni K, Choudhury B Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2025; 77(1):149-154.

PMID: 40070992 PMC: 11890798. DOI: 10.1007/s12070-024-05129-1.

HAS-CIRCpedia-5280 sponges miR-4712-5p inhibited colon cancer autophagyinduced by human beta-defensin-1.

An S, Cui J, Yang W, Zhang M, Yu H, Lu J J Transl Med. 2025; 23(1):281.

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The Impact of Inflammation on the Etiopathogenesis of Benign Salivary Gland Tumors: A Scoping Review.

Szydlowski K, Puchalski M, Oldziej S, Kasprzyk-Tryk A, Skorek A, Tretiakow D Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(23).

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Whole Exome Sequencing of Intracranial Epidermoid Cysts Reveals Immune-Associated Mechanistic and Potential Targets.

Kondaboina S, Parrish O, Parada C, Ferreira Jr M Cancers (Basel). 2024; 16(20).

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Genetic Features of Tongue Cancer Recurrence in Young Adults.

Kolegova E, Schegoleva A, Vorobev R, Fedorova I, Kulbakin D, Polyakov A Bull Exp Biol Med. 2024; 177(3):359-362.

PMID: 39127975 DOI: 10.1007/s10517-024-06189-7.

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