Cathelicidin a potential therapeutic peptide for gastrointestinal inflammation and cancer

Table 1 Possible functional effects and mechanisms of action of cathelicidins in different gastrointestinal disorders

Type of GI disorders	Functional effects	Mechanisms	Ref.
Ulcer	Increases of cell proliferation, re-epithelialization and angiogenesis	Activation of growth factors and their receptors	[11,13-17]
Inflammation	Decrease of pathogenic microbes, inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis; increase of mucus secretion	Activation of MAP kinase, formyl peptide receptor and mucin genes; electrostatic interaction on microbial membrane	[1,5,8,23]
Cancer	Induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest	Release of AIF/EndoG; activation of BMPR and Smads	[29,30]

GI: Gastrointestinal; MAP: Mitogen-activated protein; AIF: Apoptosis-inducing factor; BMPR: Bone morphogenetic protein.