The Identification of a Novel Peptide Derived from Lactoferrin Isolated from Camel Milk with Potential Antimicrobial Activity

Background and Objective: Antimicrobial peptides have attracted significant attention in recent decades because of their properties, such as rapid bactericidal effects, having a wide spectrum of activity, and a rare development of drug resistance. The purpose of this study was to examine the antibacterial activity of a peptide derived from the lactoferrin isolated from camel milk against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Materials and Methods: In the present study, by means of bioinformatics, an antibacterial peptide was potentially identified as candidates in lactoferrin of camel milk, and an appropriate peptide was selected based on defined criteria. The Pepsin-Camel-Lac1 peptide was synthesized. The methyl thiazolyl diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay was conducted to examine the toxicity of Pepsin-Camel-Lac1 against a cell line. Three pathogenic bacteria, namely S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii were analyzed to assess the antibacterial activity of Pepsin-Camel-Lac1 peptide. Results: The results showed that the newly-identified peptide had no toxicity against the cell line. The minimum inhibitory concentration values of Pepsin-Camel-Lac1 against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii were 31.25 µg/mL, 31.25 µg/mL, and 62.5 µg/mL, respectively. Conclusion: It seems that the growth of S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii was not affected by Pepsin-Camel-Lac1 treatment in the bacterial culture medium.