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Analysis of Antimicrobial Peptides by Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy (CAT#: STEM-MB-1047-WXH)

Introduction

Antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMPs) are a diverse class of naturally occurring molecules that are produced as a first line of defense by all multicellular organisms. These proteins can have broad activity to directly kill bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses and even cancer cells. Insects and plants primarily deploy AMPs as an antibiotic to protect against potential pathogenic microbes, but microbes also produce AMPs to defend their environmental niche. In higher eukaryotic organisms, AMPs can also be referred to as ‘host defense peptides’, emphasizing their additional immunomodulatory activities.




Principle

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), also called Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), is a branch of magnetic resonance spectroscopy which utilizes microwave radiation to probe species with unpaired electrons, such as radicals, radical cations, and triplets in the presence of an externally applied static magnetic field.
EPR spectroscopy is particularly suitable for the investigation of (bio)chemical systems with strongly localized spin density and their interaction with the environment. For these systems EPR provides information on the structure and dynamics and is widely used in chemistry, physics and biology.

Applications

• Study dynamic organisation of lipids in biological membranes, lipid-protein interactions and temperature of transition of gel to liquid crystalline phases.
• Determine oxygen levels in tissues and blood.
• Injection of spin-labeled molecules allows for electron resonance imaging of living organisms.
• EPR can be used to measure microviscosity and micropolarity within drug delivery systems as well as the characterization of colloidal drug carriers.
• The study of radiation-induced free radicals in biological substances (for cancer research).
• Investigation on the antioxidant properties of medicine

Procedure

1. Sample Preparation
2. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy testing
11. Data analysis

Materials

• EPR Spectrometer
• Spectrophotometer