Bacteria develop resistance to drugs due to improper uses of antibiotics and mutations.  Therefore, the need for new antibiotics is increasing. The search for new sources of drugs can be found in nature or inspired by nature. Bacteria themselves can be a source of new drugs through metabolites, which are compounds made by the bacteria that ward off other species. The two strains of <i>Vibrio</i> explored in this project have been found to produce metabolites which show activity. Due to its characteristic pink color, we speculate that the secondary metabolite produced by the two <i>Vibrio </i>species is a type of prodigiosin, an antibacterial compound that could be an effective alternative to antibiotics that are currently on the market due to a low built-up resistance by infectious bacteria. This project aims to confirm the identity of the prodigiosin structure, including three phases: extraction, purification, and characterization. We will extract the metabolite from MI-1 and MI-2 strains using liquid-liquid extraction and solid phase extraction. Purification will include chromatography methods. We will use spectroscopy methods such as NMR, mass spectrometry, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy to characterize the compound.

Extraction, purification, and characterization of a possible Prodigiosin

2019 Spring National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.