biological studies of muramyl dipeptide analogues as potential ligands for nod2 receptor
abstract
the human body’s survival against various foreign disease-causing organisms solely depends on
the protection provided by our body's immune system. our body's complex yet effective
immune system comprises cells, molecules and sensory receptors that can activate various
immune response pathways to eliminate pathogens. the innate immune system provides the first
line of defence through different types of sensor cells with pattern recognition receptors (prrs)
with cytoplasmic proteins like nod-like receptors (nlrs) that can activate the innate immune
system by recognizing the bacterial cell wall component peptidoglycan. the smallest known
fragment of peptidoglycan is muramyl dipeptide (mdp) which is recognized by the
nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (nod2) receptor of the nlr family as a pathogenassociated molecular pattern and can immediately activate the human body's innate immune
system to release effective mediators that dominate the destruction of invading pathogens and
with adverse side-effects. the parent mdp molecule exhibits high toxicity, hydrophilicity, and
rapid elimination from the biological system. modifications to the mdp structure without losing
their immunomodulatory properties can be evaluated to separate desirable biological activities
from unwanted side effects that can enhance and modulate the innate immune response and can
further be evaluated for their adjuvant potency in vaccines and drugs. [...]