PURPOSE: To provide an antifungal agent having a specified amino acid sequence, derived from lactoferrin, excellent in antifungal activity, reduced in side effects, exhibiting heat-resistant properties and water solubility, stable in water, having antibacterial properties and not requiring addition of a preservative.
CONSTITUTION: Bovine lactoferrin is dissolved in purified water and pH is adjusted to 2.5 by using 0.1 N hydrochloric acid. Swine pepsin is added thereto and the resultant mixture is hydrolyzed at 37°C for 6 hr. pH us subsequently adjusted to 7.0 by using 0.1 N sodium hydroxide and the reaction solution is heated at 80°C for 10min to deactivate the enzyme. The reaction solution is cooled to the room temperature and centrifuged at 15000rpm for 30min to obtain a transparent supernatant. The resultant supernatant is then fractionated according to the high-performance liquid chromatography method and the active fraction is dried under vacuum to obtain a peptide having, e.g. an amino acid sequence represented by formula I (RO1 is an arbitrary amino acid residue excluding Cys), formula II, etc. One or more kinds of the obtained peptides are used as the active components and prepared, thus affording the objective heat-resistant and water-soluble antifungal agent reduced in side effects, excellent in stability and not requiring addition of a preservative.
TAKASE MITSUNORI
YAMAUCHI KOJI
WAKABAYASHI HIROYUKI
