Identification and Characterization of Two Defensins from Capsicum annuum Fruits that Exhibit Antimicrobial Activity

Scientific advances have not been enough to combat the growing resistance to antimicrobial medicines. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are effector molecules of the innate immune defense system in plants and could provide an important source of new antimicrobial drugs. The aim of this work was to extra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins 2020-09, Vol.12 (3), p.1253-1265
Main Authors: da Silva Gebara, Rodrigo, Taveira, Gabriel Bonan, de Azevedo dos Santos, Layrana, Calixto, Sanderson Dias, Simão, Thatiana Lopes Biá Ventura, Lassounskaia, Elena, Muzitano, Michelle Frazão, Teixeira-Ferreira, André, Perales, Jonas, Rodrigues, Rosana, de Oliveira Carvalho, André, Gomes, Valdirene Moreira
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antifungal activity
Antimicrobial activity
Antimicrobial agents
Antimicrobial peptides
Applied Microbiology
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Chemistry/Food Science
Defensins
Immune system
Immunosuppressive agents
Macrophages
Mass spectroscopy
Microbiology
Monocytes
Nutrition
Peptides
Protein Science
Reactive oxygen species
Toxicity
Tuberculosis
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Summary:Scientific advances have not been enough to combat the growing resistance to antimicrobial medicines. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are effector molecules of the innate immune defense system in plants and could provide an important source of new antimicrobial drugs. The aim of this work was to extract, purify, characterize, and evaluate the antifungal activities present in fractions obtained from Capsicum annum fruits through reversed-phase chromatography. The fractions named F2 and F3 presented the highest inhibitory activity against Candida and Mycobacterium tuberculosis species. In addition, we identified two sequences of AMPs in the F2 and F3 fractions through mass spectrometry that showed similarity to an already well-characterized family of plant defensins. A plasma membrane permeabilization assay demonstrated that the peptides present in F2, F3, and F4 fractions induced changes in the membrane of some yeast strains, culminating in permeabilization. The production of reactive oxygen species was induced by the fractions in some yeast strains. Fractions F2, F3, and F4 also did not show toxicity in macrophage or monocyte cultures. In conclusion, the obtained data demonstrate that the AMPs, especially those present in the fractions F2 and F3, are promising antimicrobial agents that may be useful to enhance the development of new therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases.
ISSN:1867-1306
1867-1314
DOI:10.1007/s12602-020-09647-6