Saliva innate immunity

A number of endogenous chemicals provide effective barriers in innate immunity. They include hydrolytic enzymes of saliva, low pH of stomach and vagina and proteolytic enzymes in the small intestine. Additional examples include cryp-tidins, a-defensins, (3-defensins, interferons (IFNs), and surfactant proteins A and D. Cryptidins and a-defensins are produced in the small intestine and p-defensins are produced by the skin and respiratory tract. 

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