The Effect of Antimicrobial Peptide (PA-13) on Escherichia coli Carrying Antibiotic-Resistant Genes Isolated from Boar Semen

Abstract

A major global public health concern is antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a potentially appropriate replacement for conventional antibiotics. The purpose of this research was to investigate the potential of the antimicrobial peptide PA-13, a synthetic AMP with 13 amino acids, to inhibit E. coli isolated from boar semen expressing antibiotic-resistant genes, as well as to determine the mechanism of action of this antimicrobial peptide on the bacterial membrane. The effectiveness of the bacterial inhibitory activity of PA-13 was tested at different concentrations by two fold serial dilutions in the range 0.488–500 µg/mL using the MIC and MBC methods. The impact of PA-13 on the bacterial membrane was examined at different concentrations of 0×, 0.5×, 1×, 2× and 4× of MIC using DNA leakage assay and electron microscopy. The PA-13 antibacterial activity result exhibited the same MIC and MBC values at a concentration of 15.625 µg/mL. When comparing DNA leakage at different MIC values, the results revealed that the maximum amount of DNA concentration was found two and three hours after incubation. For the results of SEM and TEM, the bacterial membrane disruption of this E. coli was found in the PA-13-treated group when compared with the negative control. In conclusion, synthetic PA-13 with its antibacterial properties is an alternative antimicrobial peptide to antibiotics in the pig industry.

The Effects of Different Antimicrobial Peptides (A-11 and AP19) on Isolated Bacteria from Fresh Boar Semen and Semen Quality during Storage at 18 °C

“…Many studies have been performed on substitute strategies that can lower the usage of antibiotics in pig farms, including reducing or replacement the antibiotic supplementation in boar semen extenders. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been determined to be an alternative antimicrobial agent of interest, in which it showed compromised results for inhibiting Escherichia coli isolated from boar semen that carry antibiotic resistance genes [ 16 ]. To date, it has been documented that altogether 3257 AMPs were added to the Antimicrobial Peptide Database (APD) [ 17 ].…”

“…To date, it has been documented that altogether 3257 AMPs were added to the Antimicrobial Peptide Database (APD) [ 17 ]. Most AMPs have been discovered and identified as antimicrobial agents, and can be applied for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria [ 16 , 18 ]. These include proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs), tryptophan- and arginine-rich antimicrobial peptides, histidine-rich antimicrobial peptides, and glycine-rich antimicrobial peptides [ 19 , 20 ].…”