Dermcidin
The antibiotic peptide secreted in human sweat, found at lower levels in people with eczema and acne
Sweat glands secrete dermcidin onto the skin constantly, where it is cut into fragments that kill bacteria. It was discovered in 2001. Its human studies measure it in patients' sweat rather than give it to anyone, and nothing based on it is approved.
What is it?
Most antimicrobial peptides are switched on by injury or infection. Dermcidin is different: sweat glands make it all the time and secrete it into sweat, where enzymes cut it into active fragments that spread across the skin. Its discoverers described it in 2001 as a broad-spectrum antibiotic with no resemblance to any known antimicrobial peptide.
It is also unusual in charge. Most antimicrobial peptides are positively charged and attracted to bacterial membranes; dermcidin's active form is negatively charged. A 2013 crystal structure showed how it still works: the peptides assemble with zinc into a channel that punctures the bacterial membrane.
The human studies are measurements. People with atopic dermatitis had less dermcidin in their sweat, which correlated with more infection, and people with acne had reduced levels too. Sweat from different body sites carries different mixtures of dermcidin fragments. In patients with recurrent staphylococcal skin infections, however, its expression was not impaired.
Dermcidin has not been given to people as a treatment. Interest in it as a drug lead rests on its stability in salty, acidic conditions where many antibiotics fail.
Work published in 2026 extends its reach beyond bacteria: dermcidin blocked influenza in cells and mice, and people who carried the virus without symptoms had higher levels than those who fell ill. These are laboratory and animal results, not treatment data.
At a Glance
Every value in this table is printed from the Grey Peptides dataset, the same record the compound explorer and comparison tool read, so the three can never disagree.
Published Research
These are the studies that describe dermcidin, read from their PubMed abstracts: the discovery and three studies measuring it in patients' sweat.
The discovery
The gene was isolated and its protein found expressed specifically in sweat glands, secreted into sweat and carried to the skin surface, where a processed 47-amino-acid peptide showed broad antimicrobial activity unlike any known antimicrobial peptide.
Lower in eczema
Patients with atopic dermatitis had reduced amounts of dermcidin-derived peptides in their sweat, and the deficiency correlated with the bacterial and viral skin infections that characterise the disease.
Lower in acne
Recombinant dermcidin killed bacteria in the laboratory, and its expression in sweat was reduced in patients with acne vulgaris, the condition linked to the bacterium it acts against.
Not lower in staph infections
Sweat from 18 patients with recurrent staphylococcal skin infections and 28 carriers was compared with controls, and dermcidin expression was not impaired, so it does not explain why those patients keep getting infected.
Activity against influenza
Dermcidin bound influenza hemagglutinin and blocked infection in cells, also inhibited measles virus and a seasonal coronavirus, and protected mice against influenza disease. Levels were higher in people infected with influenza who stayed symptom-free than in those who fell ill (a correction to the paper was issued in May 2026).
Biofilms of resistant bacteria
Dermcidin-derived peptides (DCD-1L, SSL-23, SSL-25) reduced attachment and biofilm formation by clinical isolates of MRSA and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa at sub-inhibitory concentrations and broke up mature biofilms at 8 to 64 times the MIC.
Side Effects & Contraindications
Reported Side Effects
Nothing to report: dermcidin has not been given to people.
Contraindications & Cautions
A natural skin peptide, studied as a marker and a drug lead.
Legal Status
No dermcidin product is approved anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
?What is dermcidin?
An antibiotic peptide made by sweat glands and secreted onto the skin, where its fragments kill bacteria.
?Why is it unusual?
It is made constantly rather than in response to injury, and it is negatively charged, unlike most antimicrobial peptides.
?Is it linked to skin disease?
Levels are lower in the sweat of people with eczema and acne, though not in people with recurrent staph infections.
?Can I use it as a treatment?
No. It has never been tested as a treatment in people, and nothing based on it is approved.
References
- [pubmed] Schittek B, et al. "Dermcidin: a novel human antibiotic peptide secreted by sweat glands." Nat Immunol, 2001;2(12):1133-7. PMID: 11694882.
- [pubmed] Rieg S, et al. "Deficiency of dermcidin-derived antimicrobial peptides in sweat of patients with atopic dermatitis correlates with an impaired innate defense of human skin in vivo." J Immunol, 2005;174(12):8003-10. PMID: 15944307.
- [pubmed] Nakano T, et al. "Reduced expression of dermcidin, a peptide active against propionibacterium acnes, in sweat of patients with acne vulgaris." Acta Derm Venereol, 2015;95(7):783-6. PMID: 25673161.
- [pubmed] Rieg S, et al. "Expression of the sweat-derived innate defence antimicrobial peptide dermcidin is not impaired in Staphylococcus aureus colonization or recurrent skin infections." Clin Exp Dermatol, 2014;39(2):209-12. PMID: 23782241.
- [pubmed] Song C, et al. "Crystal structure and functional mechanism of a human antimicrobial membrane channel." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2013;110(12):4586-91. PMID: 23426625.
- [other] US FDA, Drugs@FDA (openFDA): no application for dermcidin. Read September 30, 2026.
- [pubmed] Corell-Escuin P, et al. "Dermcidin has antiviral activity and protects against influenza." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2026;123(14):e2424461123. PMID: 41911454.
- [pubmed] Farshadzadeh Z, et al. "In vitro antibiofilm activity of dermcidin derived peptides against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus pathogens." Mol Biol Rep, 2026;53(1). PMID: 42377607.
Sources & Citations
Every study here was read from its PubMed record. Regulatory status comes from openFDA, read September 30, 2026.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before making health decisions.