Human β-defensins and psoriasin/S100A7 expression in salivary glands: anti-oncogenic molecules for potential therapeutic approaches.

Background: Host defence peptides (HDPs), including human β-defensins (hBDs) and psoriasin/S100A7, exert antimicrobial and immunoregulatory functions of the innate defense system. In addition to these functions, the search for cancer biomarkers has identified HDPs as playing a potential role in both tumor suppression and oncogenesis. Although HDPs are highly expressed in salivary glands, their role as molecules for potential diagnostic and therapeutic approaches has not yet been analyzed.