Abstract
Natural products, as rich and varied resources for the discovery of novel drugs, have been essential for human healthcare systems throughout history. A variety of bioactive components with unique structures and functions which isolated from the skin secretion, especially the peptides, have enormous potential for medical purposes.Here, a Kunitz-type peptide was identified from the Chinese Torrent Frog, Amolops wuyiensis by molecular cloning. Then the mature peptide was successfully synthesised by Tribute® 2-channel peptide synthesiser. Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was used for purification and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) MS was used to confirm its molecular mass. This peptide was found to show relatively strong trypsin inhibition with a Ki value of 2.331 µM with weak hemolysis at a concentration up to 512μM. The peptide was ineffective against the gram-positive bacterium S.aureus, gram-negative bacterium E.coli and pathogenic yeast C.albicans. Thus, QUB-1402 could expand the potential drug discovery and development pipeline directed towards alleviation of serine protease-mediated pathologies.
| Date of Award | Jul 2018 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Mei Zhou (Supervisor), Lei Wang (Supervisor) & Chengbang Ma (Supervisor) |