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Review
. 2020 Sep 17:11:2177.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02177. eCollection 2020.

Innate Inspiration: Antifungal Peptides and Other Immunotherapeutics From the Host Immune Response

Derry K Mercer  1 , Deborah A O'Neil  1
Affiliations
Review

Innate Inspiration: Antifungal Peptides and Other Immunotherapeutics From the Host Immune Response

Derry K Mercer et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to describe antifungal therapeutic candidates in preclinical and clinical development derived from, or directly influenced by, the immune system, with a specific focus on antimicrobial peptides (AMP). Although the focus of this review is AMP with direct antimicrobial effects on fungi, we will also discuss compounds with direct antifungal activity, including monoclonal antibodies (mAb), as well as immunomodulatory molecules that can enhance the immune response to fungal infection, including immunomodulatory AMP, vaccines, checkpoint inhibitors, interferon and colony stimulating factors as well as immune cell therapies. The focus of this manuscript will be a non-exhaustive review of antifungal compounds in preclinical and clinical development that are based on the principles of immunology and the authors acknowledge the incredible amount of in vitro and in vivo work that has been conducted to develop such therapeutic candidates.

Keywords: antifungal; antimicrobial peptide; host defence peptide; immunotherapeutics; innate immunity.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Predicted 3D structures of human HDP; (A) Histatin 5, (B) Neutrophil Peptide 1 (α-defensin), (C) β-Defensin 2 and (D) LL-37. Models were generated using PEP-FOLD 3 (79).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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