Vitamin D-Induced Antimicrobial Peptides as Anti-Biofilm Agents: From Mechanisms to Therapeutic Opportunities

Akimbekov N.S. Sakhanova S.K. Digel I. Tastambek K.T. Turaliyeva M.
February 2026 Engineered Science Publisher

Engineered Science
2026 #39

Biofilm-associated infections remain among the most persistent global health challenges because of their inherent resistance to antibiotics and ability to evade host immune responses. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), especially those induced by vitamin D, have emerged as promising innate immune effectors with significant anti-biofilm activity. Vitamin D regulates the expression of key AMPs, including cathelicidin (LL-37) and human β-defensins, through vitamin D receptor-mediated transcriptional activation, thereby strengthening epithelial and immune defenses against microbial biofilms. This review synthesizes current understanding of the vitamin D signaling pathway, vitamin D-responsive AMPs, and their mechanisms of action against biofilms produced by clinically significant pathogens. Evidence from in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies is critically assessed, and emerging therapeutic approaches, such as vitamin D supplementation, topical applications, AMP analogs, and synergistic antimicrobial combinations are examined. Despite notable progress, challenges remain regarding AMP stability, delivery, and safety. The review concludes by outlining future directions, including engineered vitamin D analogs, nanotechnology-based delivery systems, and AMP-centered precision therapies as next-generation strategies to combat biofilm-associated infections. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits the use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source is given by providing a link to the Creative Commons license and changes need to be indicated if there are any. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the articles Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the articles Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Anti-biofilm therapy , Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) , Biofilms , Cathelicidin LL-37 , Innate immunity , Vitamin D , β-defensins

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Scientific-Practical Center, West Kazakhstan Marat Ospanov Medical University, 68 Maresyev Street, Aktobe, 030019, Kazakhstan
International Center for Islamic Science and Innovation, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Ecology Research Institute, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, 29 Sattarhanov Street, Turkistan, 161200, Kazakhstan
Institute for Bioengineering, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Heinrich-Mussmann-Straße 1, North Rhine-Westphalia, Jülich, 52428, Germany
Department of Biotechnology, M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University, Shymkent, 160012, Kazakhstan

Scientific-Practical Center
International Center for Islamic Science and Innovation
Ecology Research Institute
Institute for Bioengineering
Department of Biotechnology

10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель

Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026