Isolation and Characterization of Antimicrobial Peptides Isolated from Fagonia bruguieri

Khamis Sulaiman Al-Dhafri1,2, Chai Lay Ching3

  • 1Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. aldhafri2013@siswa.um.edu.my.

Insights

Plant-derived peptides from Fagonia bruguieri show promising antibacterial activity against resistant pathogens. This research highlights potential new antimicrobial drugs to combat antibiotic resistance.

Area of Science:

  • Natural Product Chemistry
  • Microbiology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microorganisms poses a significant global health threat.
  • Current antimicrobial therapies are becoming less effective, necessitating the development of novel antibacterial agents.
  • Plant-derived compounds are a promising source for discovering new antimicrobial drugs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To isolate and characterize peptides from Fagonia bruguieri leaves.
  • To evaluate the antibacterial activity of these peptides against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
  • To explore Fagonia bruguieri as a source of novel antimicrobial compounds.

Main Methods:

  • Peptide extraction using methanolic solvent.
  • Purification of peptides via reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC).
  • Characterization and identification using MALDI-TOF/TOF and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis.

Main Results:

  • Isolated peptides from Fagonia bruguieri demonstrated antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus luteus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
  • The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the isolated peptides ranged from 25 to 62.5 mg/mL.
  • Successful purification and characterization of the plant peptides were achieved.

Conclusions:

  • Fagonia bruguieri is a valuable source of bioactive peptides with significant antibacterial properties.
  • The identified peptides show potential for development into new antimicrobial agents to combat drug-resistant bacteria.
  • This study supports the use of plant resources for discovering effective natural antimicrobials.