Modulation of immune responses by immunoregulatory agents, such as the natural or synthetic immunomodulatory peptides, has been suggested as a potential strategy to modulate immune system against infection and other immune-related diseases. These compositionally simple peptides have attracted much attention for many drug developers, due to their high activity, low toxicity and clear target specificity. Host defence peptides and milk-derived peptides are two kinds of natural immunomodulatory peptides which have been widely studied in mammalians. They could participate at the interface of innate and adaptive immunity by regulating immune effector cells. This review summarizes the recent advances in host defence peptides and milk-derived peptides as well as their general characteristics, immunomodulatory functions and possible applications.

通过免疫调节剂（例如天然或合成的免疫调节肽）调节免疫反应已被认为是调节免疫系统对抗感染和其他免疫相关疾病的潜在策略。这些组成简单的肽由于其高活性、低毒性和明确的靶标特异性而引起了许多药物开发人员的关注。宿主防御肽和乳源肽是在哺乳动物中得到广泛研究的两种天然免疫调节肽。它们可以通过调节免疫效应细胞参与先天免疫和适应性免疫的界面。本综述总结了宿主防御肽和乳源肽的最新进展及其一般特征、免疫调节功能和可能的应用。