Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectral Analysis of Marine Lipopeptides with Potential Therapeutic Implications

Marine Bacillus circulans DMS-2 (MTCC 8281) was found to produce lipopeptides, which reduced the surface tension of the medium from 69 to 28 mNm⁻¹. The methanol extracts of the lipopeptides were resolved in RP-HPLC, which resulted in the presence of two major surface active fractions corresponding to the peaks E and F were eluted at the retention times of 16.8 and 18 min, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectral analysis showed that the produced lipopeptides belonged to surfactin family. In the MALDI-ToF spectrum, the major molecular mass of the HPLC purified isoforms were identified at m/z 1,044 and 1,058 Da, respectively. In addition, this marine strain also produced new variants of surfactins with molecular weights ranging from m/z 1,066 to 1,098 Da, which have not been reported earlier. Both surface-active fractions were found to have potent antimicrobial activity against the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains.