Abstract

The hemolymph of spiders contains several antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are one of the potential sources of antibiotics against drug resistant microbes. In this context, we have studied antimicrobial potential in the hemolymph of the spiders Stegodyphus sarasinorum and Nephila pilipes against ten pathogenic bacteria. The hemolymph of S. sarasinorum and N. pilipes yielded maximum Zone of Inhibition against Streptococcus pneumoniae (15 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (10.5 mm), respectively. The total hemolymph protein content of N. pilipes and S. sarasinorum was 91.8 μg/mL and 16.10 μg/mL, respectively. The dominant band on the protein profile of S. sarasinorum and N. pilipes was in the range of 60–100 kDa and 50–120 kDa, respectively. The study showed that the spider’s hemolymph is a promising source of AMPs.

Key words: Spider, Antimicrobial activity, Haemolymph, Protein profile