A NEW study has identified antimicrobial peptides in dromedary camels that could help tackle emerging antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Antimicrobial peptides are short, naturally occurring proteins that form part of the innate immune system and can kill a broad range of bacteria. In this work, researchers used a combination of computer-based prediction and laboratory testing to find and characterise camel-derived antimicrobial peptides with potential as future antibiotics.
Research Identifies Camel Antimicrobial Peptides
Using in silico tools, the team screened camel proteins and pinpointed three cathelicidin-derived peptides, which they named CdPMAP-23, Cdprotegrin-3 (CdPG-3) and Cdcathelin-like (CdCATH). Bioinformatics analysis was used to predict their structure, charge and other physicochemical properties that typically support antimicrobial activity, laying the groundwork for synthetic peptide testing.
Potent Activity Against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria
When synthesised and tested in the lab, CdPG-3 and CdCATH showed strong antibacterial effects against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Crucially, this included multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), two key problem pathogens in clinical practice.
Mechanistic assays revealed that CdPG-3 and CdCATH caused marked membrane leakage and visible damage to E. coli cells, consistent with a membrane-disrupting mode of action. CdPMAP-23 also damaged bacterial membranes, but to a lesser extent. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and electron microscopy helped confirm their structure and the physical impact of these peptides on bacterial cells.
Safety Signals and Future Therapeutic Potential
Safety is essential for any potential antibiotic, so the researchers also tested how the camel antimicrobial peptides affected red blood cells from humans, camels and chickens. At lower concentrations, all three peptides showed low to moderate haemolytic activity, suggesting a preliminary therapeutic window in which bacteria are targeted more strongly than host cells.
By demonstrating that dromedary camels naturally produce antimicrobial peptides with activity against multidrug-resistant strains, the study opens a new avenue for drug discovery. These findings provide a foundation for further work to optimise camel-derived antimicrobial peptides, understand their unique immune features, and eventually assess their suitability as novel treatments for resistant infections.
Reference
Al-Mamari W et al. Identification and characterization of novel antimicrobial peptides from Camelus dromedarius: a combined bioinformatics and experimental study. Front Immunol. 2026;17:1745714.
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