Isolation, Purification and Characterization of Antibacterial/Antifungal Peptides from Plants

Abstract

Aqueous extract from different parts (such as leaves, flowers and seeds) of various plants (Moringa oliefera, Melia azadirachta, Salvadora oleides, Salavadora persica, Capparis desidua, Acacia arabica, Cajanus cajan, Equisetum debile, Calotropis procera, Indigofera oblongifolia. Prosopis cineraria, Pithecellobium duck) were prepared and were precipitated with acetone and ethanol. The precipitates were solubilized in sterilized D. water and then were separted by Column chromatography on Sephadex G-25. The fractions were then pooled according to protein/peptide absorbance and an antibacterial/antifungal activity from each fraction was checked by seed plate diffusion method. Mostly isolated fractions were found homogenous in nature. Among the plants tested for antibacterial/antifungal, some isolated peptides/smaller protein of seeds of Moringa oleifera: leaves, flowers and seeds of Melia azadirachta: leaves of Salvadora olides; leaves of Salvadora persica; leaves and seeds of Acacia arabacia, leaves of Indigofera oblongifolia; leaves of Calotropis procera; white and red seeds of Cajanus cajan were found highly active against gram +ve & gram -ve bacteria and fungi. None of these isolated peptides/smaller protein from various plants showed hemolysin activity against human erythrocytes.