Hao LiNuttapat AnuwongcharoenAijaz Ahmad MalikVirapong PrachayasittikulJarl E.S. WikbergChanin NantasenamatMahidol UniversityUppsala Universitet2018-12-112019-03-142018-12-112019-03-142016-07-01International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Vol.17, No.7 (2016)14220067166165962-s2.0-85016421372https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/42926© 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Host defense peptides (HDPs) are positively-charged and amphipathic components of the innate immune system that have demonstrated great potential to become the next generation of broad spectrum therapeutic agents effective against a vast array of pathogens and tumor. As such, many approaches have been taken to improve the therapeutic efficacy of HDPs. Amongst these methods, the incorporation of D-amino acids (D-AA) is an approach that has demonstrated consistent success in improving HDPs. Although, virtually all HDP review articles briefly mentioned about the role of D-AA, however it is rather surprising that no systematic review specifically dedicated to this topic exists. Given the impact that D-AA incorporation has on HDPs, this review aims to fill that void with a systematic discussion of the impact of D-AA on HDPs.Mahidol UniversityBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyChemical EngineeringChemistryComputer ScienceArticleSCOPUS10.3390/ijms17071023