Antimicrobial Activities Of Different Fractions From Mucus Of The Garden Snail Cornu Aspersum

Natural products have long played a major role in medicine and science. The garden snailCornu aspersumis a rich source of biologically active natural substances that might be an important source for new drugs to treat human disease. Based on our previous studies, nine fractions containing compounds with Mw 20 kDa; >30 kDa>50 kDa and between 3 and 5 kDa; 5 and 10 kDa; and 10 and 30 kDa were purified from the mucus ofC. aspersumand analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF). Seventeen novel peptides with potential antibacterial activity were identified by de novo MS/MS sequencing using tandem mass spectrometry. The different fractions were tested for antibacterial activity against Gram(-) (Pseudomonas aureofaciens and Escherichia coli) and Gram+ (Brevibacillus laterosporus) bacterial strains as well the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium perfringens. These results revealed that the peptide fractions exhibit a predominant antibacterial activity againstB. laterosporus; the fraction with Mw 10-30 kDa againstE. coli; another peptide fraction P. aureofaciens; and the protein fraction >20 kDa against the bacterial strainC. perfringens. The discovery of new antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from natural sources is of great importance for public health due to the AMPs' effective antimicrobial activities and low resistance rates.