تقييم الفعالية المضادة للميكروبات لببتيد الإيومينيتين المؤشب والمشتق من مكونات زُعاف الدبابير

Background and Objective: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is considered one of the most prominent and escalating global health challenges, which motivates the search for effective and safe therapeutic alternatives. Among these alternatives, antimicrobial peptides have emerged due to their unconventional mechanisms of action. Eumenitin peptide, extracted from the venom of a solitary wasp species, is regarded as a promising compound with multiple biological activities. This research aims to produce recombinant Eumenitin peptide using genetic engineering techniques and to evaluate its biological activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains.

Materials and Methods: The amino acid sequence of Eumenitin peptide was identified using the GenBank database, and gene-specific primers were designed via Geneious software to target the gene responsible for its expression. The gene was cloned and fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP) and expressed in Escherichia coli. The success of cloning and expression was confirmed through analysis of plasmid DNA sequencing. The efficiency of purification was assessed using fluorescence spectrophotometry and protein concentration assays. The antimicrobial activity of the produced peptide was evaluated using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test against Gram-positive strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes) and Gram-negative strains (Salmonella enterica, Yersinia enterocolitica).

Results: The results showed the successful production of recombinant Eumenitin peptide and its retention of biological activity, as clear inhibition zones were observed around the peptide-treated disks, indicating its antimicrobial activity against the tested strains.

Conclusions: This study confirms the possibility of producing Eumenitin peptide efficiently and at low cost through genetic engineering techniques, providing a promising alternative to peptides isolated naturally or chemically synthesized. The results indicate the potential development of Eumenitin as an antibacterial drug that contributes to addressing the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance.