| Research Abstract |
The innate immune system of mammals provides a rapid response to repel assaults from numerous infectious agents including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. A major component of this system is a diver combination of cationic antimicrobial peptides that include the α- and β-defensins (hBDs), and cathelicidin (LL-37). hBDs and LL-37 belong to a group of antimicrobial peptides mainly produced by the epithelial cells of many organ including skin, lung, kidney, pancreas, urerus, eye, and oral epithelium. The oral epithelium consists of stratified keratinocytes with a variable degree of keratinization. The molecular components of cellular tight junctions, including claudins, occludin and ZO-1, contribute to homeostasis in oral epithelial keratinocytes. Many functions of keratinocytes are regulated by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-D3), the active form of vitamin D, that includes inhibition of proliferation, stimulation of differentiation and promotion of innate and adaptive immunity. It is still unclear whether 1,25-D3 affects the expression of hBDs, LL-37, claudin, ocludin and ZO-1 in keratinoccytes. The keratinocytes incubated with 1,25-D3 induced upregulated expression of hBD-1, hBD-2, LL-37 and cla-4, downregulated expression of cla-1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Incubation with 1,25-D3 at any dose did not alter expression level of hBD-1, -3.
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