Abstract: 【Aim】 This study aims to isolate and purify antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from an officinal insect Coridius chinensis so as to lay a foundation for further developing AMP resources and medicinal functions of this species. 【Methods】C. chinensis was induced by a mixture of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as the source of stimulation to produce AMPs. The hemolymph of C. chinensis was extracted and purified using gel filtration chromatography, solidphase extraction, and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The active ingredient was determined by mass spectrometry to obtain an antimicrobial peptide. Then this peptide was artificially synthesized and its antimicrobial activity was detected. 【Results】 We obtained an antimicrobial peptide named CcAMP1, which consists of 17 amino acid residues, with a molecular weight of 1 997.37 u, a positive charge, and five hydrophobic amino acids on its surface. Detection of antimicrobial activity showed that the synthetic CcAMP1 had strong antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with stronger antimicrobial effects on Gram-negative bacteria, just like the hemolymph of C. chinensis. 【Conclusion】 The cationic antimicrobial peptide CcAMP1 acquired from C. chinensis shows strong antimicrobial activity and has a great exploitation value.

Key words: Coridius chinensis, antimicrobial peptide, antimicrobial activity, isolation, purification