Scientists at the University of the Philippines (UP) are exploring the potential of spider venom to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat. Researchers are looking at antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as a source for new drugs. These AMPs are produced by organisms to fight infections.
A team led by Jomari Fernando and Dr. Aaron Joseph Villaraza at UP Diliman studied lyp1987. This AMP comes from the venom of the wolf spider Lycosa poonaensis. The scientists investigated how changing certain amino acids affected the AMP’s structure and effectiveness.
They replaced specific amino acids with alanine. Alanine is involved in protein formation. The changes didn’t significantly alter the structure. However, they greatly impacted the antimicrobial activity. Replacing Glu12 and Thr17 with alanine improved the AMP’s ability to kill bacteria. This included both Gram-positive and Gram-negative types. Substituting Lys9 made the AMP more effective against Gram-positive bacteria specifically.
Researchers noted a surprising effect on human cells. Higher antimicrobial activity also meant increased toxicity to human cells. Fernando said some modifications made the peptide target specific bacteria.
The study provides a framework for future research. It helps scientists study the structure and activity of AMPs. Their work, published in ChemMedChem, was supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry Research Fund.
