Characterization and study of the antimicrobial activity of the cutaneous secretion obtained from the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog

The alarming rise in antibiotic resistance is propelling investigation into the search for therapeutic alternatives. Peptides found in the skin secretions of amphibians, such as the Amazonian frog Phyllomedusa bicolor, are one of the emerging options. The medicinal use of this secretion has been observed in ancestral Amazonian rituals and has subsequently spread to various regions of the world. It is used to treat a variety of diseases, including bacterial infections. This undergraduate work aims to analyze the possible antimicrobial activity of the skin secretion of Phyllomedusa bicolor. Two samples were analyzed, one from the Brazilian state of Acre and the other from the Amazon rainforest in Peru. The samples underwent chemical characterization, including techniques such as ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and colorimetric tests. As a result, 2 majority UV-VIS sensitive compounds were observed, and the presence of amino acids or proteins and simple carbohydrates in the samples is suggested. Regarding the biological activity, the agar diffusion method revealed that the samples have excellent antibacterial properties against three strains of E. coli, TG1, DH5α, and E41045. In the same way, optical density measurements at 600 nm (OD600) revealed that this property is even higher than that of widely used antibiotics like ampicillin and kanamycin. Finally, it is suggested that further chemical characterization of the secretions be performed to determine which active compounds confer this antibacterial property; there is even the possibility of developing new antibacterial agents as tools to overcome the antibiotic resistance crisis. ; El aumento alarmante de la resistencia a los antibióticos está impulsando el camino de la investigación a la búsqueda de alternativas terapéuticas. Una de las opciones en auge son los péptidos presentes en la secreción cutánea de los anfibios, como es el caso de la Phyllomedusa bicolor, una rana de la Amazonía. El uso medicinal de ...