Evidence memo

LL-37

Also tracked as: Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL-37

An antimicrobial peptide with specific wound and immune-biology research, but safety and formulation questions make broad use claims risky.

Early human signal Investigational Safety watch

Evidence status

Safety/regulatory watch. Evidence level: Early human signal.

Whether LL-37 can be developed safely in specific indications rather than treated as a generic antimicrobial wellness peptide.

Antimicrobial and immune narratives are appealing, especially when antibiotic resistance is discussed.

There are specific human and preclinical contexts, including wound-related research, alongside safety-relevant cytotoxicity questions.

Therapeutic window, formulation, indication, route-specific safety, and whether benefits survive serum and tissue complexity.

Do not generalize antimicrobial mechanisms into self-directed infection or immune treatment claims.

Indication-specific trials, safety characterization, and regulatory status.

A real biology story with enough safety uncertainty to stay on watch.

PubMed

Phase IIb clinical trial authors · 2021

Specific topical wound context; does not validate broad antimicrobial self-use claims.

PubMed

Johansson et al. · 2005

Preclinical safety-relevant signal for native LL-37 and analog development.

FDA

U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Current FDA page

Regulatory source for compounding-safety watch items; status should be rechecked before publication.