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Published on: August 11, 2018
Antimicrobial Mechanism of Temporin L Peptide Against Bacillus cereus from Fermented Sausage
Tiantian Yu1, Fangyu Wang2, Ibrahim A Bakry1,3
1College of Food Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, 63#Agricultural Road, Zhengzhou, 450000, China.
Abstract:
Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) is a prevalent foodborne pathogen. This study evaluated the antimicrobial efficacy and mechanism of the peptide Temporin L against B. cereus. Quantitative assays showed that Temporin L had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8 µM and a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 16 µM. Complete bacterial eradication occurred within 1 h at 2 MIC, and complete inhibition was observed within 24 h at MIC and 2 MIC. The peptide retained over 90% antibacterial activity under ultraviolet (UV) light, at high temperatures (up to 100 °C), and under various metal-ion conditions, with Fe ions reducing activity to 82.11%. Membrane integrity assays indicated concentration-dependent increases in PI fluorescence (1.9-2.4 fold) and in leakage of intracellular biomolecules. Metabolic enzyme activities (NaK-ATPase, SDH, LDH) and intracellular ATP levels were significantly reduced, with SDH and LDH dropping from ~ 39/43 to ~ 10 U/mg protein after 1 h at 2 MIC. Oxidative stress markers showed elevated ROS, decreased antioxidant capacity, increased lipid peroxidation, and reduced SOD activity, confirming the multifaceted bacterial damage mechanism induced by Temporin L.
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