Abstract
Animal venom peptides have been reported as potential antimicrobial molecules for the development of novel antibiotics against resistant bacteria. Recent studies indicate that ant venoms is an important source of novel antimicrobial peptides. In the present study, the antimicrobial activity of the venom of the predatory ant Pachycondyla striata Smith, 1858, was evaluated against some pathogenic bacteria of medical importance. Growth inhibition tests revealed that the venom has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Mass spectrometry analysis of the fractions with antimicrobial activity allowed the identification of venom allergen and venom allergen 5 as well as a peptide of unknown sequence. These three compounds exhibited antibacterial activity against the tested human pathogens.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Dr. Jacques Charles Hubert Delabie for identifying the species P. striata, to Mr. Manoel José Ferreira for providing assistance during field collections, to the Núcleo de Biomoléculas (Universidade Federal de Viçosa) for providing technical support to this research.
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This research was supported by Brazilian research agencies CNPq, FAPEMIG, CAPES and FINEP.
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Santos, P.P., Pereira, G.R., Barros, E. et al. Antibacterial activity of the venom of the Ponerine ant Pachycondyla striata (Formicidae: Ponerinae). Int J Trop Insect Sci 40, 393–402 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-019-00090-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-019-00090-x