Porcine β-defensin 5 (pBD-5) exhibits potential immunomodulatory effects in porcine gut epithelial cells, B-cells, and alveolar macrophages.

pBD-5 shows immunomodulatory but limited direct antimicrobial potential in vitro.

This in vitro study evaluated porcine β-defensin 5 (pBD-5), an antimicrobial peptide, for its immunomodulatory and antimicrobial properties in porcine immune and epithelial cells. Researchers exposed B-cells, alveolar macrophages, and intestinal epithelial cells to pBD-5 for 1 and 24 hours, assessing cell viability, mitochondrial function, and gene expression. Results demonstrated reduced cell damage in B-cells, macrophages, and colonic epithelial cells at 24 hours, with increased mitochondrial activity in B-cells at concentrations ≥200µM. pBD-5 exposure reduced TNF-α mRNA expression in B-cells and macrophages while increasing ZO-1 expression in intestinal epithelial cells, suggesting potential barrier function support. However, direct antimicrobial activity against enterotoxigenic E. coli F4 was only evident at 80,000µM, a physiologically irrelevant concentration. No significant improvement in B-cell survival occurred following ETEC F4 challenge with pBD-5 treatment. These findings suggest pBD-5 has limited direct antimicrobial activity but demonstrates immunomodulatory potential through gene expression modulation.

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