Abstract
Antimicrobial therapy is a useful tool to control infectious diseases in general and rising antibiotic resistant microorganisms in particular. Alternative strategies are desirable, and antimicrobial peptides (AMP) represent attractive control agents. Mexican avocado (Persea americana var. drymifolia) is used in traditional medicine; however, the AMP production has not been reported in this plant. We obtained a cDNA library from avocado fruit and clone PaDef was identified, which has a cDNA (249 bp) encoding a protein (78 aa) homologous with plant defensins (>80%). We expressed the defensin PaDef cDNA (pBME3) in the bovine endothelial cell line BVE-E6E7. Polyclonal and clonal populations were obtained and their activity was evaluated against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. E. coli viability was inhibited with 100 μg/mL of total protein from clones (>55%). Also, S. aureus viability was inhibited from 50 μg/mL total protein (27–38%) but was more evident at 100 μg/mL (52–65%). This inhibition was higher than the effect showed by polyclonal population (~23%). Finally, we did not detect activity against C. albicans. These results are the first report that shows antimicrobial activity of a defensin produced by avocado and suggest that this AMP could be used in the control of pathogens.
Highlights
The excessive and inappropriate use of conventional antibiotics in the clinical treatment of human and animal infections has increased pathogen resistance against these compounds, turning them into less effective agents
We show that the conditioned media (CM) from these cells have antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, important pathogens from animals and humans
One clone was identified and further characterization showed that it contains a cDNA with homology to plant antimicrobial peptides (AMP), which was designated defensin PaDef (Accession GenBank KC007441)
Summary
The excessive and inappropriate use of conventional antibiotics in the clinical treatment of human and animal infections has increased pathogen resistance against these compounds, turning them into less effective agents. There has been an increase in the generation of multidrug-resistant pathogens, primarily bacteria and fungi that resist the effects of most antibiotics [1, 2]. Alternative methods for controlling pathogens are required. In this sense, the plants are an attractive alternative because they exhibit a huge variety of compounds with antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial metabolites from plant origin derive mainly from secondary metabolism. These compounds include diverse groups such as saponins, phenolic compounds, cyclic hydroxamic acids, cyanogenic glycosides, isoflavonoids, sesquiterpenes, and sulfur-containing indole derivatives [3]. Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is an important worldwide agricultural crop native of Mexico
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