Identification of novel marine-derived antimicrobial peptides and lipids and their nanoformulation

Abstract

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a growing public health concern. Moreover, the failure of the existing antibacterial therapeutics calls for development of novel treatment strategies. The use of bactericidal agents as metal and metal oxide nanoparticles acting differently than conventional antibiotics through a mechanism with low potential for resistance development is of great promise to overcome antimicrobial resistant infections. Antimicrobial lipids and peptides (AMP) able to disrupt the bacterial cell membrane precluding the appearance of resistance mechanisms are another alternative against AMR. In this work, different biomass fractions from marine sources including gammaride, jellyfish and seaweeds were isolated and subjected to antimicrobial evaluation against common Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. The jellyfish-derived actives together with the algae derived oil enriched with EPA and DHA were identified by as the most promising bio-based antimicrobials that will be further nano-formulated with anti-infective and anti-biofilm enzymes for antimicrobial applications.