Strengthened Antimicrobial and Biocompatible of Jelleine-1 Analogs: A Step Toward Food Preservation

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), as important components of the innate immune system, are deemed to have the potential to replace antibiotics and traditional chemical preservatives due to their natural antibacterial properties and less likely to cause bacterial resistance. In this study, the antimicrobial peptide Jelleine-1 derived from bee royal jelly was used as a template, which provided an effective design scheme for short-chain AMPs based on a natural structure. The peptide structure was characterized by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, and the antimicrobial activity and biocompatibility were evaluated. Additionally, a preliminary study on the antibacterial mechanism was carried out. The results indicated that the designed peptides predominantly exhibited a regular β-sheet conformation, in which J-R and F-K had strong antibacterial activity and excellent biocompatibility, the average therapeutic index (TI) was 23.83 and 30.67. The antibacterial mechanism suggested that the increased outer membrane permeability caused strong fluctuation of bacterial cell membrane potential and cytoplasmic depolarization through electrostatic adsorption to the bacterial membrane surface, and further induced inner membrane damage, eventually leading to bacterial death. This study provides a promising approach to the design and development of innovative biological preservatives.