LL-37: dosage in studies
Not a recommendation, not treatment guidance. This page shows only what published human studies used, with sources. This site does not say how much anyone should use of any substance. The content and quality of a product bought online or as a supplement are not controlled like a medicine's.
LL-37 has been given to humans mainly on hard-to-heal leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers, twice a week. The dose is given as a concentration, milligrams per millilitre, not as a total dose [1, 2, 3]A.
In addition, one trial gave LL-37 by mouth in COVID-19 [4]A, and one registered trial injected it into melanoma tumours [5]E, not peer-reviewed.
Doses used in studies
| Study | Participants | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Source and level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grönberg 2014 | 34 adults with a hard-to-heal venous leg ulcer; placebo as control | 0.5, 1.6 or 3.2 mg/ml applied to the wound | Twice a week | 4 weeks (plus a 3-week placebo run-in and 4 weeks of follow-up) | [1]A |
| HEAL LL-37, Mahlapuu 2021 (phase 2b) | 148 adults with a hard-to-heal leg ulcer; placebo as control; all had compression therapy | 0.5 or 1.6 mg/ml applied to the wound | Not reported | Not reported | [2]A |
| Miranda 2023 | Diabetic foot ulcer with mild infection; placebo cream as control | LL-37 cream on the wound; concentration not reported | Twice a week | 4 weeks | [3]A |
| Zhao 2023 (randomised, open-label) | 238 hospitalised adults with COVID-19; placebo as control | By mouth, LL-37 made in Lactococcus lactis; dose not reported | Not reported | Hospital stay | [4]A |
| NCT02225366 (phase 1-2, registry) | 4 melanoma patients with skin or subcutaneous metastases | 250 or 500 µg per tumour injected into the tumour | Once a week | Up to 8 weeks | [5]E, not peer-reviewed |
Evidence levels: A = randomised human trial or meta-analysis · B = observational human study or case series · C = animal study · D = cell or laboratory study · E = not peer-reviewed
Units: µg = microgram, written mcg in the calculator. A milligram (mg) is a thousand times larger.
Notes
The wound trial figures are concentrations on the wound, not injected doses. They cannot be converted into a dose injected under the skin or into muscle, because that has not been studied in humans [1, 2, 3]A.
In the first trial the highest concentration, 3.2 mg/ml, did not differ from placebo, while the lower ones speeded up healing [1]A. A higher concentration was not better.
What points the other way or is uncertain
The phase 2b trial HEAL LL-37 found no significant difference from placebo in the whole study population at either concentration. A benefit was seen only in a post hoc subgroup analysis of patients whose wound was at least 10 square centimetres [2]A.
In the trial of LL-37 injected into tumours, one patient developed widespread skin lesions about 45 days after the start; they cleared after treatment stopped [6]B.
Read the research yourself: sources
- Grönberg A, Mahlapuu M, Ståhle M, Whately-Smith C, Rollman O. Treatment 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 Regen. 2014;22:613-621. PMID 25041740
- Mahlapuu M, Sidorowicz A, Mikosinski J, et al. Evaluation of LL-37 in healing of hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers: A multicentric prospective randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Wound Repair Regen. 2021;29:938-950. PMID 34687253
- Miranda E, Bramono K, Yunir E, et al. Efficacy of LL-37 cream in enhancing healing of diabetic foot ulcer: a randomized double-blind controlled trial. Arch Dermatol Res. 2023;315:2623-2633. PMID 37480520
- Zhao Y, Zhang H, Zhao Z, et al. Efficacy and safety of Oral LL-37 against the Omicron BA.5.1.3 variant of SARS-COV-2: A randomized trial. J Med Virol. 2023;95:e29035. PMID 37605995
- ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT02225366: Intratumoral Injections of LL37 for Melanoma (phase 1-2, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, completed 2020, results posted). Registry entry, not peer-reviewed. ClinicalTrials.gov not peer-reviewed
- Dolkar T, Trinidad CM, Nelson KC, et al. Dermatologic toxicity from novel therapy using antimicrobial peptide LL-37 in melanoma: A detailed examination of the clinicopathologic features. J Cutan Pathol. 2018;45:539-544. PMID 29665030
Dose details are as given in the abstracts of the publications and in the registry record NCT02225366 (14 Oct 2026). That is why some cells say "Not reported": the abstracts of HEAL LL-37 and of the Zhao trial do not give the frequency or the dose.
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