Susceptibility of Human Pathogenic Bacteria to Antimicrobial Peptides from Sesame Kernels

Hospital infection caused by Gram-negative bacteria is a serious and common problem, especially in developing countries. Aiming to reduce these infections, this report focuses on the identification and characterization of novel antimicrobial peptides from sesame (Sesamum indicum) kernel meals. Thus, sesame flour was extracted and precipitated with ammonium sulfate (100%). After dialysis, a rich fraction was applied to affinity red-Sepharose CL-6B chromatography, followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Mass spectrometry analysis indicated the presence of a major peptide with molecular mass of ∼5.8 kDa in both cultivars. The bactericidal activities of antimicrobial peptides were evaluated against several human pathogens that had been effective only against Klebsiella sp., a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for human urinary infection. These data indicate the biotechnological potential of sesame peptides as an alternative method for hospital infection control and also the decrease of bacterial resistance to synthetic antibiotics.