Besides antimicrobial properties, LL-37 also contributes to the pathophysiology of various diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and cancer.
Previous studies have demonstrated that it LL‑37 serves a functional role in the development of numerous types of cancer including ovarian, breast, prostate and lung cancer.
These results indicate that the treatment of certain types of cancer cells with FF/CAP18 may increase the sensitivity of the chemotherapeutic reagents, which might relate to the reduction of the side effects.
Since these functional processes are often exaggerated in cancer, the aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and role of LL-37 in prostate cancer (PCa) and establish its value as a therapeutic target.
Application of exogenous LL-37 at low concentrations of 5ng/ml to cancer cell lines increased proliferation and growth of anchorage-independent colonies.