A bioactive peptide from the skin secretion of the bamboo leaf odorous frog, <i>Odorrana versabilis</i>

As the problem of antibiotic resistance gets worse, the need to search for novel antimicrobial molecules is high on the agenda. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from amphibian defensive skin secretions have been found to possess remarkable bioactivities in some areas, such as antimicrobial activities, smooth muscle activities, anticancer activities, and so on.

Therefore, AMPs are now recognised as one of the most promising groups of molecules for potential therapeutic applications in the future.<br><br>This thesis aimed to isolate and identify the structure of a bioactive peptide from the skin secretion of the Chinese bamboo leaf odorous frog, Odorrana versabilis, by applying ‘shotgun’ molecular cloning technology. After this was achieved, the synthetic peptide replicate obtained using solid phase peptide synthesis, was identified and purified by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and mass spectrometry.