The human endogenous antibiotic LL-37 promotes growth of lung cancer cells

Background: The human cathelicidin antimicrobial protein hCAP18/LL-37 is an effector molecule of the innate immune system with direct antimicrobial activity. In addition, the peptide is involved in other processes such as inflammation and angiogenesis. The aim of the present study was to characterize the role of LL-37 in cancer cell biology. Methods: We treated lung cancer cell lines with different concentrations and measured cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro. Cell lines overexpressing LL-37/hCAP-18 were also evaluated in tissue culture and injected subcutaneously in nude mice. Signalling studies…