The improper usage of antibiotics is known to cause widespread antibiotic resistance. In this study, the antibacterial effects of a polypeptide-enriched extract from the skin of the amphibian Rana chensinensis (RCP) were evaluated against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and the fungus Candida albicans. The mechanisms underlying these effects were also studied, and the minimum inhibitory concentration of RCP was determined for each species. Analyses of the levels of adenosine triphosphates (ATPases), including Na+/K+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase, and scanning electron microscopy confirmed that RCP damaged the microbial cell walls and membranes. RCP perturbed microbial metabolism and particularly affected the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), suggesting that this agent downregulated the levels of succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase and ATPase activity in cells. Furthermore, RCP caused the leakage of genetic material from all four microbial strains. In conclusion, RCP effectively inhibited the growth of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and a fungal species by disrupting energy metabolic processes.
Keywords: Anti-bacterial activity; Anti-fungus activities; Energy metabolisms; Polypeptide; Rana chensinensis.