Cecropin ruptures the outer membrane of Salmonella bacteria

Cecropin is a natural peptide secreted by some species of mosquitoes, and it has unique physical properties that make it able to penetrate bacterial cell membranes and cause severe damage to them.

In vitro studies showed the ability of this peptide to inhibit the growth of a number of pathogenic Salmonella strains. MD simulations showed the ability of Cecropin to penetrate the outer membrane of Salmonella and to destabilize it within a short period, which indicates the effectiveness of this peptide against Salmonella and other Gram-negative bacteria.

Project details can be found in the following research paper:

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/14/10/2201

An illustrative video can be found here:

https://youtu.be/3wYYXmfR0RY