Antileishmanial Activity of Cathelicidin and its Modulation by Leishmania donovani in a cAMP Response Element Modulator-Dependent Manner in Infection.

Concerns regarding toxicity and resistance of current drugs in visceral leishmaniasis have been reported. Antimicrobial peptides are considered to be promising candidates and among them human cathelicidin hCAP18/LL-37 showed significant parasite killing on drug-sensitive and resistant Leishmania promastigotes, in addition to its apoptosis-inducing role. Administration of hCAP18/LL-37 to infected macrophages also decreased parasite survival and increased the host favorable cytokine interleukin 12.

Circular RNA as an Additional Player in the Conflicts Between the Host and the Virus.

Circular RNA (circRNA), a relatively new member of the non-coding RNA family, has spurred great interest among researchers following its discovery as a ubiquitous class within the RNA world. Rapid progress in circRNA biology has coincided with its identification in a plethora of diverse roles including regulation of gene expression and probable coding potential, as well as competing interactions with proteins and microRNAs in various pathological conditions. Emerging evidence suggests that circRNAs also function in viral infections.