Extraction methods depend mainly on the chemical nature of the extracted molecule. For these reasons, the selection of the extraction medium is a vital part of obtaining these molecules. The extraction of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from extremophile plants is important because of its potential pharmaceutical applications. This work focused on the evaluation of several solvents for the extraction of AMPs from the following two extremophile plants: Astragalus armatus and Anthyllis sericea from southern Tunisia. In order to identify the most efficient solvents and extraction solutions, we used sulfuric acid, dichloromethane, phosphate buffer, acetic acid and sodium acetate, and we tested them on leaves and roots of both the studied plants. The extracts obtained using sulfuric acid, dichloromethane and phosphate buffer extraction did not show any antimicrobial activity, whereas the acetic acid and sodium acetate extracts led to growth inhibition of some of the tested bacterial strains. The extracts of leaves and roots of An. sericea and As. armatus obtained by acetic acid and sodium acetate were proven to be active against Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, the most appropriate solvents to use for antimicrobial peptide extraction from both plants are acetic acid and sodium acetate.
: A diversity of marine invertebrates, such as cnidarians are rich sources of large bio-active molecules. This chemo-diversity of bio-active compounds has a promising potential in several biotechnological and therapeutic applications. On the basis of a comparative bibliographic approach, we intend in this review to present and discuss an overview of: i) the diversity of marine invertebrates as a candidate for bio-active molecules production; ii) the diversity of bio-active compounds and venom derived from these organisms; iii) the relationship between, the diversity of these marine organisms and the structure of the toxins they secrete. In this bibliographic study, a focus is going to be made on protein neurotoxins targeting ion channels. We also discuss the potential link between the bioecological characteristics of cnidarians and the diversity of toxins.