LL-37 for Injury Recovery: What the Evidence Shows
What human and animal studies show about LL-37 for injury recovery, how strong that evidence is, and what is still unproven.
- Strongest evidence
- Human RCT
- Human studies
- 3
- with an outcome for injury recovery, in our evidence file (PubMed search, 11 Oct 2026)
- Animal studies
- 2
- with an outcome for injury recovery, in our evidence file (PubMed search, 11 Oct 2026)
- Studies we summarised
- 6
- with an outcome for injury recovery
Evidence for injury recovery
Each row is an outcome related to injury recovery from a published study, strongest design first. Animal and cell results are labelled and are not human results. User reports are not counted as evidence here.
| Outcome | Result | Study type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granulation index | Granulation index rose more in the LL-37 cream group than placebo on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 (p = 0.031, 0.009, 0.006, 0.037). | Human RCT | Archives of dermatological research 2023, PMID 37480520 |
| Inflammatory markers and bacteria | LL-37 cream enhanced the healing rate but did not lower IL-1α, TNF-α or aerobic bacterial colonization. | Human RCT | Archives of dermatological research 2023, PMID 37480520 |
| Healing, whole study population | No significant improvement in healing with LL-37 versus placebo in the full population (primary analysis). | Human RCTn = 148 | Wound repair and regeneration 2021, PMID 34687253 |
| Healing, large-wound subgroup (post hoc) | A post hoc subgroup analysis (wounds of at least 10 cm2) showed improvement in several healing parameters; hypothesis-generating only. | Human RCTn = 148 | Wound repair and regeneration 2021, PMID 34687253 |
| Ulcer healing rate (lower doses) | Healing rate constants were approximately six-fold (0.5 mg/mL, p = 0.003) and three-fold (1.6 mg/mL, p = 0.088) higher than placebo. | Human RCTn = 34 | Wound repair and regeneration 2014, PMID 25041740 |
| Ulcer area reduction | Mean ulcer area decreased 68% (0.5 mg/mL) and 50% (1.6 mg/mL). | Human RCTn = 34 | Wound repair and regeneration 2014, PMID 25041740 |
| Highest dose | The 3.2 mg/mL group did not differ from placebo (non-monotonic dose response). | Human RCTn = 34 | Wound repair and regeneration 2014, PMID 25041740 |
| Pressure ulcer area | LL-37 in chitosan hydrogel promoted healing of pressure ulcers in mice (formulation study, not free peptide alone). | Animal · mouse (not a human result)n = 6 | Military Medical Research 2020, PMID 32321591 |
| Wound healing | Nanoparticle-delivered LL37 accelerated wound healing compared with PLGA or LL37 alone (formulation study). | Animal · (species not stated in abstract) (not a human result) | Journal of controlled release 2014, PMID 25173841 |
| Stability in wound fluid | LL-37 showed no apparent cleavage in non-healing ulcer wound fluid for up to 24 h at 37°C ex vivo. | In vitro (not a human result)n = 9 | Acta dermato-venereologica 2011, PMID 21547341 |
LL-37 and injury recovery are not in our PubMed count ledger yet; the rows above come from our evidence file (PubMed search, 11 Oct 2026). Grades follow our .
How strong is it?
A human randomized trial outweighs any number of animal studies. Animal and cell results show a mechanism worth testing, not that it works in people.
Injuries and recovery in plain terms
MedlinePlus lists sprains and strains, knee injuries, swollen muscles and Achilles tendon injuries among the most common sports injuries.[7]
What LL-37 studies measured that is closest
No cached LL-37 study is in sports injuries, tendons or muscle; the nearest human work is on chronic leg ulcers, where the first-in-man trial reported no safety concerns, local or systemic.[3]
The multicentre phase IIb ulcer trial reported that the study drug was well tolerated and safe at both strengths.[2]
In mice with pressure-induced deep tissue injury, LL-37 in a chitosan hydrogel gave a smaller ulcer area than naked LL-37, hydrogel alone or no treatment, an animal result.[4]
Does the peptide survive in wounds?
In lab tests, synthetic LL-37 was completely degraded by trypsin but not by matrix metalloproteinase-9, and was fairly resistant to breakdown in wound fluid from non-healing leg ulcers.[6]
In healthy mice, LL-37 given subcutaneously was absorbed into the bloodstream with two-phase kinetics and cleared mainly by the kidneys.[8]
Other peptides people research for injury recovery
Common questions
Does LL-37 help with injury recovery?
The strongest study we summarise for injury recovery is human rct evidence, across 6 studies with an outcome for injury recovery. A trial result is not an approval; see the legal status.
Is LL-37 approved for injury recovery?
No. LL-37 is not FDA approved for any use, including injury recovery.
Does LL-37 help injury recovery?
No sports-injury study is cached; the evidence is in chronic ulcers and mouse wound models.[4]
Is injected LL-37 studied?
Only in a mouse imaging study of a labelled LL-37 variant given as an intravenous bolus or subcutaneously.[8]
More on LL-37
Sources
- 1Efficacy of LL-37 cream in enhancing healing of diabetic foot ulcer: a randomized double-blind controlled trial.Archives of dermatological research · 2023PMID 37480520Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 2Evaluation of LL-37 in healing of hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers: A multicentric prospective randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society · 2021PMID 34687253Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 3Treatment with LL-37 is safe and effective in enhancing healing of hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society · 2014PMID 25041740Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 4Chitosan hydrogel encapsulated with LL-37 peptide promotes deep tissue injury healing in a mouse model.Military Medical Research · 2020PMID 32321591Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 5PLGA nanoparticles loaded with host defense peptide LL37 promote wound healing.Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 2014PMID 25173841Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 6Stability of the cathelicidin peptide LL-37 in a non-healing wound environment.Acta dermato-venereologica · 2011PMID 21547341Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 7Official web pageOfficial web page · web page
- 8Biodistribution of the cationic host defense peptide LL-37 using SPECT/CT.European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics : official journal of Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik e.V · 2024PMID 38972467Accessed 2 Oct 2026
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