LAUSR

ABSTRACT Dunaliella salina is a halotolerant microalga with high protein content. Until now, there was no report on biological properties of peptides prepared by enzymatic digestion of D. salina proteins. Therefore, antimicrobial and antiproliferative effects of the abundant protein of D. salina were investigated. The extracted proteins were separated by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), and protein hydrolysis was carried out with intestinal proteases such as trypsin and chymotrypsin. The antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of the hydrolyzed peptides were examined on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Helicobacter pylori, and colon cancer cell lines, respectively. The results demonstrated that 63 kDa protein and its derived peptides caused a decrease in bacteria growth, and <3 kDa peptide fraction significantly reduced SW480 cell viability. Therefore, the peptide fractions with antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities are worthy of further investigation as functional food ingredients for health benefits.