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Lomonte B. Lys49 myotoxins, secreted phospholipase A 2-like proteins of viperid venoms: A comprehensive review. Toxicon 2023; 224:107024. [PMID: 36632869 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Muscle necrosis is a potential clinical complication of snakebite envenomings, which in severe cases can lead to functional or physical sequelae such as disability or amputation. Snake venom proteins with the ability to directly damage skeletal muscle fibers are collectively referred to as myotoxins, and include three main types: cytolysins of the "three-finger toxin" protein family expressed in many elapid venoms, the so-called "small" myotoxins found in a number of rattlesnake venoms, and the widespread secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) molecules. Among the latter, protein variants that conserve the sPLA2 structure, but lack such enzymatic activity, have been increasingly found in the venoms of many viperid species. Intriguingly, these sPLA2-like proteins are able to induce muscle necrosis by a mechanism independent of phospholipid hydrolysis. They are commonly referred to as "Lys49 myotoxins" since they most often present, among other substitutions, the replacement of the otherwise invariant residue Asp49 of sPLA2s by Lys. This work comprehensively reviews the historical developments and current knowledge towards deciphering the mechanism of action of Lys49 sPLA2-like myotoxins, and points out main gaps to be filled for a better understanding of these multifaceted snake venom proteins, to hopefully lead to improved treatments for snakebites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501, Costa Rica.
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Oguiura N, Sanches L, Duarte PV, Sulca-López MA, Machini MT. Past, Present, and Future of Naturally Occurring Antimicrobials Related to Snake Venoms. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13. [PMID: 36830531 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
This review focuses on proteins and peptides with antimicrobial activity because these biopolymers can be useful in the fight against infectious diseases and to overcome the critical problem of microbial resistance to antibiotics. In fact, snakes show the highest diversification among reptiles, surviving in various environments; their innate immunity is similar to mammals and the response of their plasma to bacteria and fungi has been explored mainly in ecological studies. Snake venoms are a rich source of components that have a variety of biological functions. Among them are proteins like lectins, metalloproteinases, serine proteinases, L-amino acid oxidases, phospholipases type A2, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, as well as many oligopeptides, such as waprins, cardiotoxins, cathelicidins, and β-defensins. In vitro, these biomolecules were shown to be active against bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses that are pathogenic to humans. Not only cathelicidins, but all other proteins and oligopeptides from snake venom have been proteolyzed to provide short antimicrobial peptides, or for use as templates for developing a variety of short unnatural sequences based on their structures. In addition to organizing and discussing an expressive amount of information, this review also describes new β-defensin sequences of Sistrurus miliarius that can lead to novel peptide-based antimicrobial agents, using a multidisciplinary approach that includes sequence phylogeny.
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Aróstica M, Rojas R, Aguilar LF, Carvajal-Rondanelli P, Albericio F, Guzmán F, Cárdenas C. Arginine Homopeptide of 11 Residues as a Model of Cell-Penetrating Peptides in the Interaction with Bacterial Membranes. Membranes (Basel) 2022; 12:1180. [PMID: 36557087 PMCID: PMC9788509 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12121180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Cell-penetrating peptides rich in arginine are good candidates to be considered as antibacterial compounds, since peptides have a lower chance of generating resistance than commonly used antibiotics. Model homopeptides are a useful tool in the study of activity and its correlation with a secondary structure, constituting an initial step in the construction of functional heteropeptides. In this report, the 11-residue arginine homopeptide (R11) was used to determine its antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and the effect on the secondary structure, caused by the substitution of the arginine residue by the amino acids Ala, Pro, Leu and Trp, using the scanning technique. As a result, most of the substitutions improved the antibacterial activity, and nine peptides were significantly more active than R11 against the two tested bacteria. The cell-penetrating characteristic of the peptides was verified by SYTOX green assay, with no disruption to the bacterial membranes. Regarding the secondary structure in four different media-PBS, TFE, E. coli membrane extracts and DMPG vesicles-the polyproline II structure, the one of the parent R11, was not altered by unique substitutions, although the secondary structure of the peptides was best defined in E. coli membrane extract. This work aimed to shed light on the behavior of the interaction model of penetrating peptides and bacterial membranes to enhance the development of functional heteropeptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Aróstica
- Doctorado en Biotecnología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso y Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso 2373223, Chile
| | - Roberto Rojas
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Agronomía, Universidad de Las Américas, Sede Los Castaños, 7 Norte 1348, Viña del Mar 2531098, Chile
| | - Luis Felipe Aguilar
- Instituto de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Av. Universidad 330, Valparaíso 2373223, Chile
| | - Patricio Carvajal-Rondanelli
- Escuela de Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas y de los Alimentos, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Waddington 716, Valparaíso 2360100, Chile
| | - Fernando Albericio
- Department of Organic Chemistry and CIBER-BBN, Networking Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine, University of Barcelona, Martí i Franqués, 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, King Edward Avenue, Scottsville, Durban 4001, South Africa
| | - Fanny Guzmán
- Núcleo de Biotecnología Curauma, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Av. Universidad 330, Valparaíso 2373223, Chile
| | - Constanza Cárdenas
- Núcleo de Biotecnología Curauma, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Av. Universidad 330, Valparaíso 2373223, Chile
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Urra FA, Vivas-Ruiz DE, Sanchez EF, Araya-Maturana R. An Emergent Role for Mitochondrial Bioenergetics in the Action of Snake Venom Toxins on Cancer Cells. Front Oncol 2022; 12:938749. [PMID: 35924151 PMCID: PMC9343075 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.938749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Beyond the role of mitochondria in apoptosis initiation/execution, some mitochondrial adaptations support the metastasis and chemoresistance of cancer cells. This highlights mitochondria as a promising target for new anticancer strategies. Emergent evidence suggests that some snake venom toxins, both proteins with enzymatic and non-enzymatic activities, act on the mitochondrial metabolism of cancer cells, exhibiting unique and novel mechanisms that are not yet fully understood. Currently, six toxin classes (L-amino acid oxidases, thrombin-like enzymes, secreted phospholipases A2, three-finger toxins, cysteine-rich secreted proteins, and snake C-type lectin) that alter the mitochondrial bioenergetics have been described. These toxins act through Complex IV activity inhibition, OXPHOS uncoupling, ROS-mediated permeabilization of inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM), IMM reorganization by cardiolipin interaction, and mitochondrial fragmentation with selective migrastatic and cytotoxic effects on cancer cells. Notably, selective internalization and direct action of snake venom toxins on tumor mitochondria can be mediated by cell surface proteins overexpressed in cancer cells (e.g. nucleolin and heparan sulfate proteoglycans) or facilitated by the elevated Δψm of cancer cells compared to that non-tumor cells. In this latter case, selective mitochondrial accumulation, in a Δψm-dependent manner, of compounds linked to cationic snake peptides may be explored as a new anti-cancer drug delivery system. This review analyzes the effect of snake venom toxins on mitochondrial bioenergetics of cancer cells, whose mechanisms of action may offer the opportunity to develop new anticancer drugs based on toxin scaffolds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Félix A. Urra
- Laboratorio de Plasticidad Metabólica y Bioenergética, Programa de Farmacología Clínica y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Network for Snake Venom Research and Drug Discovery, Santiago, Chile
- Interdisciplinary Group on Mitochondrial Targeting and Bioenergetics (MIBI), Talca, Chile
- *Correspondence: Félix A. Urra,
| | - Dan E. Vivas-Ruiz
- Network for Snake Venom Research and Drug Discovery, Santiago, Chile
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima, Peru
| | - Eladio Flores Sanchez
- Network for Snake Venom Research and Drug Discovery, Santiago, Chile
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Proteins from Animal Venoms, Research and Development Center, Ezequiel Dias Foundation, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Ramiro Araya-Maturana
- Network for Snake Venom Research and Drug Discovery, Santiago, Chile
- Interdisciplinary Group on Mitochondrial Targeting and Bioenergetics (MIBI), Talca, Chile
- Laboratorio de Productos Bioactivos, Instituto de Química de Recursos Naturales, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
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Lomonte B, Fernández J. Solving the microheterogeneity of Bothrops asper myotoxin-II by high-resolution mass spectrometry: Insights into C-terminal region variability in Lys49-phospholipase A2 homologs. Toxicon 2022; 210:123-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Proleón A, Torrejón D, Urra FA, Lazo F, López-Torres C, Fuentes-Retamal S, Quispe E, Bautista L, Agurto A, Gavilan RG, Sandoval GA, Rodríguez E, Sánchez EF, Yarlequé A, Vivas-Ruiz DE. Functional, immunological characterization, and anticancer activity of BaMtx: A new Lys49- PLA 2 homologue isolated from the venom of Peruvian Bothrops atrox snake (Serpentes: Viperidae). Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 206:990-1002. [PMID: 35321814 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.03.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Bothorps atrox is responsible for most of the ophidism cases in Perú. As part of the envenoming, myotoxicity is one of the most recurrent and destructive effects. In this study, a myotoxin, named BaMtx, was purified from B. atrox venom to elucidate its biological, immunological, and molecular characteristics. BaMtx was purified using CM-Sephadex-C-25 ion-exchange resin and SDS-PAGE analysis showed a unique protein band of 13 kDa or 24 kDa under reducing or non-reducing conditions, respectively. cDNA sequence codified a 122-aa mature protein with high homology with other Lys49-PLA2s; modeled structure showed a N-terminal helix, a β-wing region, and a C-terminal random coil. This protein has a poor phospholipase A2 enzymatic activity. BaMtx has myotoxic (DMM = 12.30 ± 0.95 μg) and edema-forming (DEM = 26.00 ± 1.15 μg) activities. Rabbit immunization with purified enzyme produced anti-BaMtx antibodies that reduced 50.28 ± 10.15% of myotoxic activity and showed significant cross-reactivity against B. brazili and B pictus venoms. On the other hand, BaMtx exhibits mild anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects on breast cancer cells, affecting the ROS and NADH levels, which may reduce mitochondrial respiration. These results contribute to the understanding of B. atrox Lys49-PLA2 effects and establish the anticancer potential de BaMtx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Proleón
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú
| | - Daniel Torrejón
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú
| | - Felix A Urra
- Laboratorio de Plasticidad Metabólica y Bioenergética, Programa de Farmacología Clínica y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile
| | - Fanny Lazo
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú
| | - Camila López-Torres
- Laboratorio de Plasticidad Metabólica y Bioenergética, Programa de Farmacología Clínica y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile
| | - Sebastián Fuentes-Retamal
- Laboratorio de Plasticidad Metabólica y Bioenergética, Programa de Farmacología Clínica y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile
| | - Edwin Quispe
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú
| | - Lorgio Bautista
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú
| | - Andrés Agurto
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú
| | - Ronnie G Gavilan
- Centro Nacional de Salud Pública, Instituto Nacional de Salud-Perú, Jesús María, Lima, Peru; Escuela Profesional de Medicina Humana, Universidad Privada San Juan Bautista, Lima, Peru
| | - Gustavo A Sandoval
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú
| | - Edith Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú
| | - Eladio F Sánchez
- Research and Development Center, Ezequiel Dias Foundation, 30510-010 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Armando Yarlequé
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú
| | - Dan E Vivas-Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Venezuela Cdra 34 S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Lima 01, Perú.
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Teodoro A, Gonçalves FJ, Oliveira H, Marques S. Venom of Viperidae: A Perspective of its Antibacterial and Antitumor
Potential. Curr Drug Targets 2022; 23:126-144. [DOI: 10.2174/1389450122666210811164517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
:
The emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria and limitations on cancer treatment represent
two important challenges in modern medicine. Biological compounds have been explored with
a particular focus on venoms. Although they can be lethal or cause considerable damage to humans,
venom is also a source rich in components with high therapeutic potential.
:
Viperidae family is one of the most emblematic venomous snake families and several studies highlighted
the antibacterial and antitumor potential of viper toxins. According to the literature, these
activities are mainly associated to five protein families - svLAAO, Disintegrins, PLA2, SVMPs and
C-type lectins- that act through different mechanisms leading to the inhibition of the growth of bacteria,
as well as, cytotoxic effects and inhibition of metastasis process. In this review, we provide
an overview of the venom toxins produced by species belonging to the Viperidae family, exploring
their roles during the envenoming and their pharmacological properties, in order to demonstrate its
antibacterial and antitumor potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Teodoro
- Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Fernando J.M. Gonçalves
- Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
- CESAM- Centre for Environmental and
Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Helena Oliveira
- Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
- CESAM- Centre for Environmental and
Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sérgio Marques
- Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
- CESAM- Centre for Environmental and
Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
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Peña-Carrillo MS, Pinos-Tamayo EA, Mendes B, Domínguez-Borbor C, Proaño-Bolaños C, Miguel DC, Almeida JR. Dissection of phospholipases A 2 reveals multifaceted peptides targeting cancer cells, Leishmania and bacteria. Bioorg Chem 2021; 114:105041. [PMID: 34130109 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.105041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cationic peptides bio-inspired by natural toxins have been recognized as an efficient strategy for the treatment of different health problems. Due to the specific interaction with substrates from biological membranes, snake venom phospholipases (PLA2s) represent valuable scaffolds for the research and development of short peptides targeting parasites, bacteria, and cancer cells. Considering this, we evaluated the in vitro therapeutic potential of three biomimetic peptides (pCergo, pBmTxJ and pBmje) based on three different amino acid sequences from Asp49 PLA2s. First, short amino acid sequences (12-17 in length) derived from these membranolytic toxins were selected using a combination of bioinformatics tools, including AntiCP, AMPA, PepDraw, ToxinPred, and HemoPI. The peptide, from each polypeptide sequence, with the greatest average antimicrobial index, no toxicity, and no hemolysis predicted was synthesized, purified, and characterized. According to in vitro assays performed, pBmje showed moderate cytotoxicity specifically against MCF-7 (breast cancer cells) with an EC50 of 464.85 µM, whereas pBmTxJ showed an antimicrobial effect against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) with an MIC of 37.5 µM, and pCergo against E. coli (ATCC 25922) with an MIC of 75 µM. In addition, pCergo showed antileishmanial activity with an EC50 of 93.69 µM and 110.40 µM against promastigotes of Leishmania braziliensis and L. amazonensis, respectively. Altogether, these results confirmed the versatility of PLA2-derived synthetic peptides, highlighting the relevance of the use of these membrane-interacting toxins as specific archetypes for drug design focused on public health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria S Peña-Carrillo
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 Via Muyuna, Tena, Napo, Ecuador
| | - Edgar A Pinos-Tamayo
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 Via Muyuna, Tena, Napo, Ecuador
| | - Bruno Mendes
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cristobal Domínguez-Borbor
- ESPOL Polytechnic University, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Marinas (CENAIM), Campus Gustavo Galindo Km. 30. 5 Vía Perimetral, P.O. Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Carolina Proaño-Bolaños
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 Via Muyuna, Tena, Napo, Ecuador
| | - Danilo C Miguel
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - José R Almeida
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 7 Via Muyuna, Tena, Napo, Ecuador.
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Santos-Filho NA, de Freitas LM, Santos CTD, Piccoli JP, Fontana CR, Fusco-Almeida AM, Cilli EM. Understanding the mechanism of action of peptide (p-BthTX-I) 2 derived from C-terminal region of phospholipase A2 (PLA 2)-like bothropstoxin-I on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Toxicon 2021; 196:44-55. [PMID: 33781796 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Based on the antimicrobial activity of bothropstoxin-I (BthTX-I) and on the premise that a C-terminal peptide of Lys49 myotoxin can reproduce the antimicrobial activity of the parent protein, we aimed to study the mechanism of action of a peptide derived from the C-terminal region of the myotoxin BthTX-I [(p-BthTX-I)2, sequence: KKYRYHLKPFCKK, disulfide-linked dimer] against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Fluorescence quenching technique showed that the carboxyfluorescein labeled-peptide [CF-(p-BthTX-I)2] when incubated with E. coli displayed a superior penetration activity than when incubated with S. aureus. Cell death induced by the peptide (p-BthTX-I)2 showed a loss of membrane integrity in E. coli and S. aureus; however, the mechanisms of cell death were different, characterized by the presence of necrosis-like and apoptosis-like deaths, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy studies in E. coli and S. aureus showed morphological changes in the cells, with superficial deformities, appearance of wrinkles and bubbles, and formation of vesicles. Our results demonstrate that the mechanism of action of the peptide (p-BthTX-I)2 is different in Gram-negative (E. coli) and Gram-positive (S. aureus) bacteria. Knowledge of the mechanism of action of these peptides is important, since they are promising prototypes for new antimicrobial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norival Alves Santos-Filho
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil; Campus Experimental de Registro, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil; Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil.
| | - Laura Marise de Freitas
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil; Instituto de Química, Depto de Bioquímica, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Julia Pinto Piccoli
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Carla Raquel Fontana
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana Marisa Fusco-Almeida
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Maffud Cilli
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araraquara, SP, Brazil.
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Abstract
Brucellosis is a bacterial disease of domestic animals and humans. The pathogenic ability of Brucella organisms relies on their stealthy strategy and their capacity to replicate within host cells and to induce long-lasting infections. Brucella organisms barely induce neutrophil activation and survive within these leukocytes by resisting microbicidal mechanisms. Very few Brucella-infected neutrophils are found in the target organs, except for the bone marrow, early in infection. Still, Brucella induces a mild reactive oxygen species formation and, through its lipopolysaccharide, promotes the premature death of neutrophils, which release chemokines and express "eat me" signals. This effect drives the phagocytosis of infected neutrophils by mononuclear cells that become thoroughly susceptible to Brucella replication and vehicles for bacterial dispersion. The premature death of the infected neutrophils proceeds without NETosis, necrosis/oncosis, or classical apoptosis morphology. In the absence of neutrophils, the Th1 response exacerbates and promotes bacterial removal, indicating that Brucella-infected neutrophils dampen adaptive immunity. This modulatory effect opens a window for bacterial dispersion in host tissues before adaptive immunity becomes fully activated. However, the hyperactivation of immunity is not without a price, since neutropenic Brucella-infected animals develop cachexia in the early phases of the disease. The delay in the immunological response seems a sine qua non requirement for the development of long-lasting brucellosis. This property may be shared with other pathogenic alphaproteobacteria closely related to Brucella We propose a model in which Brucella-infected polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) function as "Trojan horse" vehicles for bacterial dispersal and as modulators of the Th1 adaptive immunity in infection.
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Lamiyan AK, Dalal R, Kumar NR. Venom peptides in association with standard drugs: a novel strategy for combating antibiotic resistance - an overview. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2020; 26:e20200001. [PMID: 32843888 PMCID: PMC7416788 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2020-0001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Development of antibiotic resistance that leads to resurgence of bacterial infections poses a threat to disease-free existence for humankind and is a challenge for the welfare of the society at large. Despite research efforts directed towards treatment of pathogens, antibiotics within new improved classes have not emerged for years, a fact largely attributable to the pharmacological necessities compelling drug development. Recent reversion to the use of natural products alone or in combination with standard drugs has opened up new vistas for alternative therapeutics. The success of this strategy is evident in the sudden interest in plant extracts as additives/synergists for treatment of maladies caused by drug-resistant bacterial strains. Animal venoms have long fascinated scientists as sources of pharmacologically active components that can be exploited for the treatment of specific ailments and should be promoted further to clinical trials. In the present review, we outline the scope and possible methods for the applications of animal venoms in combination with commercial antibiotics to offer a better treatment approach against antibiotic-resistant infections.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ramkesh Dalal
- Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
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Teixeira SC, Borges BC, Oliveira VQ, Carregosa LS, Bastos LA, Santos IA, Jardim ACG, Melo FF, Freitas LM, Rodrigues VM, Lopes DS. Insights into the antiviral activity of phospholipases A 2 (PLA 2s) from snake venoms. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 164:616-625. [PMID: 32698062 PMCID: PMC7368918 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.07.178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Viruses are associated with several human diseases that infect a large number of individuals, hence directly affecting global health and economy. Owing to the lack of efficient vaccines, antiviral therapy and emerging resistance strains, many viruses are considered as a potential threat to public health. Therefore, researches have been developed to identify new drug candidates for future treatments. Among them, antiviral research based on natural molecules is a promising approach. Phospholipases A2 (PLA2s) isolated from snake venom have shown significant antiviral activity against some viruses such as Dengue virus, Human Immunodeficiency virus, Hepatitis C virus and Yellow fever virus, and have emerged as an attractive alternative strategy for the development of novel antiviral therapy. Thus, this review provides an overview of remarkable findings involving PLA2s from snake venom that possess antiviral activity, and discusses the mechanisms of action mediated by PLA2s against different stages of virus replication cycle. Additionally, molecular docking simulations were performed by interacting between phospholipids from Dengue virus envelope and PLA2s from Bothrops asper snake venom. Studies on snake venom PLA2s highlight the potential use of these proteins for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Teixeira
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - B C Borges
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - V Q Oliveira
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Health, Anísio Teixeira Campus, Federal University of Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brazil
| | - L S Carregosa
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Health, Anísio Teixeira Campus, Federal University of Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brazil
| | - L A Bastos
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Health, Anísio Teixeira Campus, Federal University of Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brazil
| | - I A Santos
- Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - A C G Jardim
- Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biomedical Science, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - F F Melo
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Health, Anísio Teixeira Campus, Federal University of Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brazil
| | - L M Freitas
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Health, Anísio Teixeira Campus, Federal University of Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brazil
| | - V M Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Animal Toxins, Institute of Biotechnology, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
| | - D S Lopes
- Multidisciplinary Institute of Health, Anísio Teixeira Campus, Federal University of Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, BA, Brazil; Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Bio-Function, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
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13
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Brenes H, Loría GD, Lomonte B. Potent virucidal activity against Flaviviridae of a group IIA phospholipase A 2 isolated from the venom of Bothrops asper. Biologicals 2019; 63:48-52. [PMID: 31839332 DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2019.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) molecules are small, calcium-dependent enzymes involved in many biological processes. Viperid venoms possess gIIA sPLA2s and sPLA2-like proteins, both having homology to human gIIA sPLA2, an innate immunity enzyme. We evaluated the antiviral action of Mt-I (catalytically-active sPLA2) and Mt-II (catalytically-inactive variant) isolated from the venom of Bothrops asper, against a diverse group of viruses. Yellow Fever and Dengue (enveloped) viruses were highly susceptible to inactivation by the snake proteins, in contrast to Sabin (non-enveloped; Polio vaccine strain), and Influenza A, Herpes simplex 1 and 2, and Vesicular Stomatitis (enveloped) viruses. Titration of the antiviral effect against Dengue virus revealed Mt-I to be highly potent (IC50 0.5-2 ng/mL), whereas Mt-II was 1000-fold weaker. This large difference suggested a requirement for PLA2 activity, which was confirmed by chemical inactivation of Mt-I. A synthetic peptide representing the membrane-disrupting region of Mt-II, previously shown to have bactericidal effect, lacked antiviral action, suggesting that the weak virucidal effect observed for Mt-II is likely caused by contamination with traces of Mt-I. On the other hand, Mt-I was demonstrated to act by a direct virucidal mechanism prior to infection, and not by an independent effect on host cells, either pretreated, or exposed to Mt-I after virus infection. Interestingly, DENV2 propagated in mosquito cells was much more sensitive to the action of Mt-I, compared to human cell-propagated virus. Therefore, differences in envelope membrane composition may be crucially involved in the observed virucidal action of PLA2 enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hebleen Brenes
- Instituto Costarricense de Investigación y Enseñanza en Nutrición y Salud (INCIENSA), Tres Ríos, Cartago, Costa Rica.
| | - Gilbert D Loría
- Sección de Virología, Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET), and Centro de Investigaciones en Hematología y Trastornos Afines (CIHATA), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
| | - Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
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Alfonso JJ, Kayano AM, Garay AFG, Simões-Silva R, Sobrinho JC, Vourliotis S, Soares AM, Calderon LA, Gómez MCV. Isolation, Biochemical Characterization and Antiparasitic Activity of BmatTX-IV, A Basic Lys49-Phospholipase A2 from the Venom of Bothrops mattogrossensis from Paraguay. Curr Top Med Chem 2019; 19:2041-2048. [DOI: 10.2174/1568026619666190723154756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Background:Functional and structural diversity of proteins of snake venoms is coupled with a wide repertoire of pharmacological effects. Snake venoms are targets of studies linked to searching molecules with biotechnological potential.Methods:A homologue phospholipase A2 (BmatTX-IV) was obtained using two chromatographic techniques. Mass spectrometry and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis were used to determine the molecular mass and isoelectric point, respectively. By means of Edman degradation chemistry, it was possible to obtain the partial sequence of amino acids that comprise the isolated toxin. Trypanocidal, leishmanicidal and cytoxic activity against Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania infantum and murine fibrobasts was determinated.Results:Combination of both chromatographic steps used in this study demonstrated efficacy to obtain the PLA2-Lys49. BmatTX-IV showed molecular mass and isoelectric point of 13.55 kDa and 9.3, respectively. Amino acid sequence of N-terminal region (51 residues) shows the presence of Lys49 residue at position 49, a distinctive trait of enzymatically inactive PLA2. Bothrops mattogrossensis snake venom showed IC50 values of 11.9 μg/mL against Leishmania infantum promastigotes and of 13.8 μg/mL against Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes, respectively. On the other hand, the venom showed a high cytotoxic activity (IC50 value of 16.7 μg/mL) against murine fibroblasts, whereas the BmatTX-IV showed IC50 value of 81.2 μg/mL.Conclusion:Physicochemical and biological characterization of snake venoms components is critically important, since these complex mixtures provide a source of molecules with antiparasitic potential, making further studies necessary to identify and characterize components with higher efficacy and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Javier Alfonso
- Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde, CEBio, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Fiocruz Rondônia, Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, UNIR, Porto Velho-RO, Brazil
| | - Anderson M. Kayano
- Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde, CEBio, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Fiocruz Rondônia, Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, UNIR, Porto Velho-RO, Brazil
| | - Ana Fidelina Gómez Garay
- Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde, CEBio, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Fiocruz Rondônia, Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, UNIR, Porto Velho-RO, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Simões-Silva
- Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde, CEBio, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Fiocruz Rondônia, Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, UNIR, Porto Velho-RO, Brazil
| | - Juliana C. Sobrinho
- Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde, CEBio, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Fiocruz Rondônia, Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, UNIR, Porto Velho-RO, Brazil
| | | | - Andreimar M. Soares
- Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde, CEBio, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Fiocruz Rondônia, Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, UNIR, Porto Velho-RO, Brazil
| | - Leonardo A. Calderon
- Centro de Estudos de Biomoléculas Aplicadas à Saúde, CEBio, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Fiocruz Rondônia, Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, UNIR, Porto Velho-RO, Brazil
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Abstract
Abstract
An increasing problem in the field of health protection is the emergence of drug-resistant and multi-drug-resistant bacterial strains. They cause a number of infections, including hospital infections, which currently available antibiotics are unable to fight. Therefore, many studies are devoted to the search for new therapeutic agents with bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties. One of the latest concepts is to search for this type of substances among toxins produced by venomous animals. In this approach, however, special attention is paid to snake venom because it contains molecules with antibacterial properties. Thorough investigations have shown that the phospholipases A2 (PLA2) and l-amino acids oxidases (LAAO), as well as fragments of these enzymes, are mainly responsible for the bactericidal properties of snake venoms. Some preliminary research studies also suggest that fragments of three-finger toxins (3FTx) are bactericidal. It has also been proven that some snakes produce antibacterial peptides (AMP) homologous to human defensins and cathelicidins. The presence of these proteins and peptides means that snake venoms continue to be an interesting material for researchers and can be perceived as a promising source of antibacterial agents.
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Mladic M, Slagboom J, Kool J, Vonk FJ, van Wezel GP, Richardson MK. Detection and identification of antibacterial proteins in snake venoms using at-line nanofractionation coupled to LC-MS. Toxicon 2018; 155:66-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Almeida JR, Palacios ALV, Patiño RSP, Mendes B, Teixeira CAS, Gomes P, da Silva SL. Harnessing snake venom phospholipases A 2 to novel approaches for overcoming antibiotic resistance. Drug Dev Res 2018; 80:68-85. [PMID: 30255943 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of antibiotic resistance drives an essential race against time to reveal new molecular structures capable of addressing this alarming global health problem. Snake venoms are natural catalogs of multifunctional toxins and privileged frameworks, which serve as potential templates for the inspiration of novel treatment strategies for combating antibiotic resistant bacteria. Phospholipases A2 (PLA2 s) are one of the main classes of antibacterial biomolecules, with recognized therapeutic value, found in these valuable secretions. Recently, a number of biomimetic oligopeptides based on small fragments of primary structure from PLA2 toxins has emerged as a meaningful opportunity to overcome multidrug-resistant clinical isolates. Thus, this review will highlight the biochemical and structural properties of antibacterial PLA2 s and peptides thereof, as well as their possible molecular mechanisms of action and key roles in development of effective therapeutic strategies. Chemical strategies possibly useful to convert antibacterial peptides from PLA2 s to efficient drugs will be equally addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Bruno Mendes
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Cátia A S Teixeira
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula Gomes
- LAQV/REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Saulo L da Silva
- Facultad de Ciencias Química, Universidad de Cuenca - Cuenca/Azuay - Ecuador
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Jia Y, Villarreal J. Phospholipases A2 purified from cottonmouth snake venoms display no antibacterial effect against four representative bacterial species. Toxicon 2018; 151:1-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.06.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Massimino ML, Simonato M, Spolaore B, Franchin C, Arrigoni G, Marin O, Monturiol-Gross L, Fernández J, Lomonte B, Tonello F. Cell surface nucleolin interacts with and internalizes Bothrops asper Lys49 phospholipase A 2 and mediates its toxic activity. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10619. [PMID: 30006575 PMCID: PMC6045611 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28846-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Phospholipases A2 are a major component of snake venoms. Some of them cause severe muscle necrosis through an unknown mechanism. Phospholipid hydrolysis is a possible explanation of their toxic action, but catalytic and toxic properties of PLA2s are not directly connected. In addition, viperid venoms contain PLA2-like proteins, which are very toxic even if they lack catalytic activity due to a critical mutation in position 49. In this work, the PLA2-like Bothrops asper myotoxin-II, conjugated with the fluorophore TAMRA, was found to be internalized in mouse myotubes, and in RAW264.7 cells. Through experiments of protein fishing and mass spectrometry analysis, using biotinylated Mt-II as bait, we found fifteen proteins interacting with the toxin and among them nucleolin, a nucleolar protein present also on cell surface. By means of confocal microscopy, Mt-II and nucleolin were shown to colocalise, at 4 °C, on cell membrane where they form Congo-red sensitive assemblies, while at 37 °C, 20 minutes after the intoxication, they colocalise in intracellular spots going from plasmatic membrane to paranuclear and nuclear area. Finally, nucleolin antagonists were found to inhibit the Mt-II internalization and toxic activity and were used to identify the nucleolin regions involved in the interaction with the toxin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Morena Simonato
- Istituto di Neuroscienze, CNR, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Barbara Spolaore
- Dipartimento di Scienze del Farmaco, Università di Padova, Via F. Marzolo, 5, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Cinzia Franchin
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università di Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padova, Italy
- Centro di Proteomica, Università di Padova e Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova, Via G. Orus 2/B, 35129, Padova, Italy
| | - Giorgio Arrigoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università di Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padova, Italy
- Centro di Proteomica, Università di Padova e Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova, Via G. Orus 2/B, 35129, Padova, Italy
| | - Oriano Marin
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Università di Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Laura Monturiol-Gross
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Julián Fernández
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Fiorella Tonello
- Istituto di Neuroscienze, CNR, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, 35131, Padova, Italy.
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Almeida JR, Mendes B, Lancellotti M, Marangoni S, Vale N, Passos Ó, Ramos MJ, Fernandes PA, Gomes P, Da Silva SL. A novel synthetic peptide inspired on Lys49 phospholipase A 2 from Crotalus oreganus abyssus snake venom active against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 149:248-56. [PMID: 29501945 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.02.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Currently, the evolving and complex mechanisms of bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics are increasing, while alternative medicines are drying up, which urges the need to discover novel agents able to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Lys49 phospholipase A2s (PLA2s) from snake venoms are multifunctional toxins able to induce a huge variety of therapeutic effects and consequently serve as templates for new drug leads. Hence, the present study was aimed at the synthesis of oligopeptides mimicking regions of the antibacterial Lys49 PLA2 toxin (CoaTx-II), recently isolated from Crotalus oreganus abyssus snake venom, to identify small peptides able to reproduce the therapeutic action of the toxin. Five peptides, representing major regions of interest within CoaTx-II, were synthesized and screened for their antibacterial properties. The 13-mer peptide pC-CoaTxII, corresponding to residues 115-129 of CoaTx-II, was able to reproduce the promising bactericidal effect of the toxin against multi-resistant clinical isolates. Peptide pC-CoaTxII is mainly composed by positively charged and hydrophobic amino acids, a typical trait in most antimicrobial peptides, and presented no defined secondary structure in aqueous environment. The physicochemical properties of pC-CoaTxII are favorable towards a strong interaction with anionic lipid membranes as those in bacteria. Additional in silico studies suggest formation of a water channel across the membrane upon peptide insertion, eventually leading to bacterial cell disruption and death. Overall, our findings confirm the valuable potential of snake venom toxins towards design and synthesis of novel antimicrobials, thus representing key insights towards development of alternative efficient antimicrobials to fight bacterial resistance to current antibiotics.
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Nicolau CA, Prorock A, Bao Y, Neves-Ferreira AGDC, Valente RH, Fox JW. Revisiting the Therapeutic Potential of Bothrops jararaca Venom: Screening for Novel Activities Using Connectivity Mapping. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:toxins10020069. [PMID: 29415440 PMCID: PMC5848170 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10020069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Snake venoms are sources of molecules with proven and potential therapeutic applications. However, most activities assayed in venoms (or their components) are of hemorrhagic, hypotensive, edematogenic, neurotoxic or myotoxic natures. Thus, other relevant activities might remain unknown. Using functional genomics coupled to the connectivity map (C-map) approach, we undertook a wide range indirect search for biological activities within the venom of the South American pit viper Bothrops jararaca. For that effect, venom was incubated with human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF7) followed by RNA extraction and gene expression analysis. A list of 90 differentially expressed genes was submitted to biosimilar drug discovery based on pattern recognition. Among the 100 highest-ranked positively correlated drugs, only the antihypertensive, antimicrobial (both antibiotic and antiparasitic), and antitumor classes had been previously reported for B. jararaca venom. The majority of drug classes identified were related to (1) antimicrobial activity; (2) treatment of neuropsychiatric illnesses (Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, and epilepsy); (3) treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and (4) anti-inflammatory action. The C-map results also indicated that B. jararaca venom may have components that target G-protein-coupled receptors (muscarinic, serotonergic, histaminergic, dopaminergic, GABA, and adrenergic) and ion channels. Although validation experiments are still necessary, the C-map correlation to drugs with activities previously linked to snake venoms supports the efficacy of this strategy as a broad-spectrum approach for biological activity screening, and rekindles the snake venom-based search for new therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Alves Nicolau
- Laboratory of Toxinology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-900, Brazil.
- National Institute of Science and Technology on Toxins (INCTTOX), CNPq, Brasília, DF 71605-170, Brazil.
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
| | - Alyson Prorock
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
| | - Yongde Bao
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
| | - Ana Gisele da Costa Neves-Ferreira
- Laboratory of Toxinology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-900, Brazil.
- National Institute of Science and Technology on Toxins (INCTTOX), CNPq, Brasília, DF 71605-170, Brazil.
| | - Richard Hemmi Valente
- Laboratory of Toxinology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-900, Brazil.
- National Institute of Science and Technology on Toxins (INCTTOX), CNPq, Brasília, DF 71605-170, Brazil.
| | - Jay William Fox
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
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22
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Zambelli VO, Picolo G, Fernandes CAH, Fontes MRM, Cury Y. Secreted Phospholipases A₂ from Animal Venoms in Pain and Analgesia. Toxins (Basel) 2017; 9:E406. [PMID: 29311537 DOI: 10.3390/toxins9120406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal venoms comprise a complex mixture of components that affect several biological systems. Based on the high selectivity for their molecular targets, these components are also a rich source of potential therapeutic agents. Among the main components of animal venoms are the secreted phospholipases A2 (sPLA2s). These PLA2 belong to distinct PLA2s groups. For example, snake venom sPLA2s from Elapidae and Viperidae families, the most important families when considering envenomation, belong, respectively, to the IA and IIA/IIB groups, whereas bee venom PLA2 belongs to group III of sPLA2s. It is well known that PLA2, due to its hydrolytic activity on phospholipids, takes part in many pathophysiological processes, including inflammation and pain. Therefore, secreted PLA2s obtained from animal venoms have been widely used as tools to (a) modulate inflammation and pain, uncovering molecular targets that are implicated in the control of inflammatory (including painful) and neurodegenerative diseases; (b) shed light on the pathophysiology of inflammation and pain observed in human envenomation by poisonous animals; and, (c) characterize molecular mechanisms involved in inflammatory diseases. The present review summarizes the knowledge on the nociceptive and antinociceptive actions of sPLA2s from animal venoms, particularly snake venoms.
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23
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Diniz-Sousa R, Caldeira CAS, Kayano AM, Paloschi MV, Pimenta DC, Simões-Silva R, Ferreira AS, Zanchi FB, Matos NB, Grabner FP, Calderon LA, Zuliani JP, Soares AM. Identification of the Molecular Determinants of the Antibacterial Activity of LmutTX, a Lys49 Phospholipase A2
Homologue Isolated from Lachesis muta muta
Snake Venom (Linnaeus, 1766). Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2017; 122:413-423. [DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.12921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafaela Diniz-Sousa
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Experimental Biology Posgraduate Program (PGBIOEXP); Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
| | - Cleópatra A. S. Caldeira
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Biodiversity and Biotechnology Posgraduate Program; Rede BIONORTE; Manaus Brazil
| | - Anderson M. Kayano
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
| | - Mauro V. Paloschi
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Experimental Biology Posgraduate Program (PGBIOEXP); Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Laboratory of Cellular Immunology Applied to Heath; Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
| | - Daniel. C. Pimenta
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Laboratory; Butantan Institute; Sao Paulo SP Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Simões-Silva
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
| | - Amália S. Ferreira
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
| | - Fernando B. Zanchi
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Experimental Biology Posgraduate Program (PGBIOEXP); Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Biodiversity and Biotechnology Posgraduate Program; Rede BIONORTE; Manaus Brazil
| | - Najla B. Matos
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Experimental Biology Posgraduate Program (PGBIOEXP); Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Microbiology Laboratory; Research Center on Tropical Medicine of Rondonia (CEPEM); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
| | | | - Leonardo A. Calderon
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Experimental Biology Posgraduate Program (PGBIOEXP); Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Biodiversity and Biotechnology Posgraduate Program; Rede BIONORTE; Manaus Brazil
| | - Juliana P. Zuliani
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Experimental Biology Posgraduate Program (PGBIOEXP); Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Biodiversity and Biotechnology Posgraduate Program; Rede BIONORTE; Manaus Brazil
- Laboratory of Cellular Immunology Applied to Heath; Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
| | - Andreimar M. Soares
- Center for the Study of Biomolecules Applied to Heath (CEBio); Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Fiocruz Rondonia; Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Medicine Department; Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Experimental Biology Posgraduate Program (PGBIOEXP); Federal University of Rondonia (UNIR); Porto Velho RO Brazil
- Biodiversity and Biotechnology Posgraduate Program; Rede BIONORTE; Manaus Brazil
- Sao Lucas Universitary Center (UNISL); Porto Velho RO Brazil
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Fernández ML, Quartino PY, Arce-Bejarano R, Fernández J, Camacho LF, Gutiérrez JM, Kuemmel D, Fidelio G, Lomonte B. Intravascular hemolysis induced by phospholipases A 2 from the venom of the Eastern coral snake, Micrurus fulvius: Functional profiles of hemolytic and non-hemolytic isoforms. Toxicol Lett 2017; 286:39-47. [PMID: 29197624 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2017.11.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Revised: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
A unique feature of the venom of Micrurus fulvius (Eastern coral snake) is its ability to induce severe intravascular hemolysis in particular species, such as dogs or mice. This effect was previously shown to be induced by distinct phospholipase A2 (PLA2) isoforms which cause direct hemolysis in vitro, an uncommon finding for such enzymes. The functional profiles of PLA2-17, a direct hemolytic enzyme, and PLA2-12, a co-existing venom isoform lacking such effect, were compared. The enzymes differed not only in their ability to cause intravascular hemolysis: PLA2-17 additionally displayed lethal, myotoxic, and anticoagulant actions, whereas PLA2-12 lacked these effects. PLA2-12 was much more active in hydrolyzing a monodisperse synthetic substrate than PLA2-17, but the catalytic activity of latter was notably higher on a micellar substrate, or towards pure phospholipid artificial monolayers under controlled lateral pressures. Interestingly, PLA2-17 could hydrolyze substrate at a pressure of 20 mN m-1, in contrast to PLA2-12 or the non-toxic pancreatic PLA2. This suggests important differences in the monolayer penetrating power, which could be related to differences in toxicity. Comparative examination of primary structures and predicted three-dimensional folding of PLA2-12 and PLA2-17, revealed that differences concentrate in their N-terminal and central regions, leading to variations of the surface properties at the membrane interacting interface. PLA2-17 presents a less basic interfacial surface than PLA2-12, but more bulky aromatic residues, which could be associated to its higher membrane-penetrating strength. Altogether, these structural and functional comparative observations suggest that the ability of PLA2s to penetrate substrate interfaces could be a major determinant of toxicity, perhaps more important than protein surface charge.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Laura Fernández
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica San José 11501, Costa Rica
| | - Pablo Yunes Quartino
- Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba (CIQUIBIC), Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Ruth Arce-Bejarano
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica San José 11501, Costa Rica
| | - Julián Fernández
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica San José 11501, Costa Rica
| | - Luis F Camacho
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica San José 11501, Costa Rica
| | - José María Gutiérrez
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica San José 11501, Costa Rica
| | - Daniel Kuemmel
- Biology and Chemistry Department, University of Osnabrueck, Osnabrueck, Germany
| | - Gerardo Fidelio
- Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba (CIQUIBIC), Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica San José 11501, Costa Rica.
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Santos-Filho NA, Fernandes RS, Sgardioli BF, Ramos MAS, Piccoli JP, Camargo ILBC, Bauab TM, Cilli EM. Antibacterial Activity of the Non-Cytotoxic Peptide (p-BthTX-I)₂ and Its Serum Degradation Product against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria. Molecules 2017; 22:E1898. [PMID: 29113051 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22111898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides can be used systemically, however, their susceptibility to proteases is a major obstacle in peptide-based therapeutic development. In the present study, the serum stability of p-BthTX-I (KKYRYHLKPFCKK) and (p-BthTX-I)₂, a p-BthTX-I disulfide-linked dimer, were analyzed by mass spectrometry and analytical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Antimicrobial activities were assessed by determining their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) using cation-adjusted Mueller-Hinton broth. Furthermore, biofilm eradication and time-kill kinetics were performed. Our results showed that p-BthTX-I and (p-BthTX-I)₂ were completely degraded after 25 min. Mass spectrometry showed that the primary degradation product was a peptide that had lost four lysine residues on its C-terminus region (des-Lys12/Lys13-(p-BthTX-I)₂), which was stable after 24 h of incubation. The antibacterial activities of the peptides p-BthTX-I, (p-BthTX-I)₂, and des-Lys12/Lys13-(p-BthTX-I)₂ were evaluated against a variety of bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains. Des-Lys12/Lys13-(p-BthTX-I)₂ and (p-BthTX-I)₂ degraded Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms. Additionally, both the peptides exhibited bactericidal activities against planktonic S. epidermidis in time-kill assays. The emergence of bacterial resistance to a variety of antibiotics used in clinics is the ultimate challenge for microbial infection control. Therefore, our results demonstrated that both peptides analyzed and the product of proteolysis obtained from (p-BthTX-I)₂ are promising prototypes as novel drugs to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.
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Resende L, Almeida J, Schezaro-Ramos R, Collaço R, Simioni L, Ramírez D, González W, Soares A, Calderon L, Marangoni S, da Silva S. Exploring and understanding the functional role, and biochemical and structural characteristics of an acidic phospholipase A2, AplTx-I, purified from Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma snake venom. Toxicon 2017; 127:22-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Zambelli VO, Chioato L, Gutierrez VP, Ward RJ, Cury Y. Structural determinants of the hyperalgesic activity of myotoxic Lys49-phospholipase A 2. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2017; 23:7. [PMID: 28203248 PMCID: PMC5303236 DOI: 10.1186/s40409-017-0099-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bothropstoxin-I (BthTx-I) is a Lys49-phospholipase A2 (Lys49-PLA2) from the venom of Bothrops jararacussu, which despite of the lack of catalytic activity induces myotoxicity, inflammation and pain. The C-terminal region of the Lys49-PLA2s is important for these effects; however, the amino acid residues that determine hyperalgesia and edema are unknown. The aim of this study was to characterize the structural determinants for the Lys49-PLA2-induced nociception and inflammation. METHODS Scanning alanine mutagenesis in the active-site and C-terminal regions of BthTx-I has been used to study the structural determinants of toxin activities. The R118A mutant was employed as this substitution decreases PLA2 myotoxicity. In addition, K115A and K116A mutants - which contribute to decrease cytotoxicity - and the K122A mutant - which decreases both myotoxicity and cytotoxicity - were also used. The H48Q mutant - which does not interfere with membrane damage or myotoxic activity - was used to evaluate if the PLA2 catalytic site is relevant for the non-catalytic PLA2-induced pain and inflammation. Wistar male rats received intraplantar injections with mutant PLA2. Subsequently, hyperalgesia and edema were evaluated by the paw pressure test and by a plethysmometer. Native and recombinant BthTx-I were used as controls. RESULTS Native and recombinant BthTx-I induced hyperalgesia and edema, which peaked at 2 h. The R118A mutant did not induce nociception or edema. The mutations K115A and K116A abolished hyperalgesia without interfering with edema. Finally, the K122A mutant did not induce hyperalgesia and presented a decreased inflammatory response. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained with the BthTx-I mutants suggest, for the first time, that there are distinct residues responsible for the hyperalgesia and edema induced by BthTx-I. In addition, we also showed that cytolytic activity is essential for the hyperalgesic effect but not for edematogenic activity, corroborating previous data showing that edema and hyperalgesia can occur in a non-dependent manner. Understanding the structure-activity relationship in BthTx-I has opened new possibilities to discover the target for PLA2-induced pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Olzon Zambelli
- Butantan Institute, Special Laboratory for Pain and Signaling, Av. Vital Brazil, 1500, São Paulo, SP CEP 05503-900 Brazil
| | - Lucimara Chioato
- Department of Chemistry, School of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
| | - Vanessa Pacciari Gutierrez
- Butantan Institute, Special Laboratory for Pain and Signaling, Av. Vital Brazil, 1500, São Paulo, SP CEP 05503-900 Brazil
| | - Richard John Ward
- Department of Chemistry, School of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP Brazil
| | - Yara Cury
- Butantan Institute, Special Laboratory for Pain and Signaling, Av. Vital Brazil, 1500, São Paulo, SP CEP 05503-900 Brazil
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Salvador GH, Dos Santos JI, Lomonte B, Fontes MR. Crystal structure of a phospholipase A 2 from Bothrops asper venom: Insights into a new putative "myotoxic cluster". Biochimie 2017; 133:95-102. [PMID: 28034717 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2016.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Snake venoms from the Viperidae and Elapidae families often have several phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), which may display different functions despite having a similar structural scaffold. These proteins are considered an important target for the development of drugs against local myotoxic damage because they are not efficiently neutralized by conventional serum therapy. PLA2s from these venoms are generally divided into two classes: (i) catalytic PLA2s (or Asp49-PLA2s) and (ii) non-catalytic PLA2-like toxins (or Lys49-PLA2s). In many Viperidae venoms, a subset of the basic Asp49-PLA2s displays some functional and structural characteristics of PLA2-like proteins and group within the same phylogenetic clade, but their myotoxic mechanism is still largely unknown. In the present study, we have crystallized and solved the structure of myotoxin I (MT-I), a basic myotoxic Asp49-PLA2 isolated from Bothrops asper venom. The structure presents a dimeric conformation that is compatible with that of previous dimers found for basic myotoxic Asp49-PLA2s and Lys49-PLA2s and has been confirmed by other biophysical and bioinformatics techniques. This arrangement suggests a possible cooperative action between both monomers to exert myotoxicity via two different sites forming a putative membrane-docking site (MDoS) and a putative membrane disruption site (MDiS). This mechanism would resemble that proposed for Lys49-PLA2s, but the sites involved appear to be situated in a different region. Thus, as both sites are close to one another, they form a "myotoxic cluster", which is also found in two other basic myotoxic Asp49-PLA2s from Viperidae venoms. Such arrangement may represent a novel structural strategy for the mechanism of muscle damage exerted by the group of basic, Asp49-PLA2s found in viperid snake venoms.
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Almeida J, Lancellotti M, Soares A, Calderon L, Ramírez D, González W, Marangoni S, Da Silva S. CoaTx-II, a new dimeric Lys49 phospholipase A2 from Crotalus oreganus abyssus snake venom with bactericidal potential: Insights into its structure and biological roles. Toxicon 2016; 120:147-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Jiménez-charris E, Montealegre-sánchez L, Solano-redondo L, Castro-herrera F, Fierro-pérez L, Lomonte B. Divergent functional profiles of acidic and basic phospholipases A2 in the venom of the snake Porthidium lansbergii lansbergii. Toxicon 2016; 119:289-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Revised: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Corrêa EA, Kayano AM, Diniz-Sousa R, Setúbal SS, Zanchi FB, Zuliani JP, Matos NB, Almeida JR, Resende LM, Marangoni S, da Silva SL, Soares AM, Calderon LA. Isolation, structural and functional characterization of a new Lys49 phospholipase A2 homologue from Bothrops neuwiedi urutu with bactericidal potential. Toxicon 2016; 115:13-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2015] [Revised: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Samy RP, Sethi G, Lim LH. A brief update on potential molecular mechanisms underlying antimicrobial and wound-healing potency of snake venom molecules. Biochem Pharmacol 2016; 115:1-9. [PMID: 26975619 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2016.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Infectious diseases remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A wide range of diverse, novel classes of natural antibiotics have been isolated from different snake species in the recent past. Snake venoms contain diverse groups of proteins with potent antibacterial activity against a wide range of human pathogens. Some snake venom molecules are pharmacologically attractive, as they possess promising broad-spectrum antibacterial activities. Furthermore, snake venom proteins (SVPs)/peptides also bind to integrins with high affinity, thereby inhibiting cell adhesion and accelerating wound healing in animal models. Thus, SVPs are a potential alternative to chemical antibiotics. The mode of action for many antibacterial peptides involves pore formation and disruption of the plasma membrane. This activity often includes modulation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation during skin wound healing. The NF-κB pathway negatively regulates the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1/Smad pathway by inducing the expression of Smad7 and eventually reducing in vivo collagen production at the wound sites. In this context, SVPs that regulate the NF-κB signaling pathway may serve as potential targets for drug development.
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Carvajal-Rondanelli P, Aróstica M, Marshall SH, Albericio F, Álvarez CA, Ojeda C, Aguilar LF, Guzmán F. Inhibitory effect of short cationic homopeptides against Gram-negative bacteria. Amino Acids 2016; 48:1445-56. [DOI: 10.1007/s00726-016-2198-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Sudarshan S, Dhananjaya BL. Antibacterial activity of an acidic phospholipase A2 (NN-XIb-PLA2) from the venom of Naja naja (Indian cobra). Springerplus 2016; 5:112. [PMID: 26885465 PMCID: PMC4740474 DOI: 10.1186/s40064-016-1690-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The resistance of bacteria against the use of conventional antibiotics has become a serious threat to public health and considering the associated side effect with antibiotics; new strategies to find and develop new molecules with novel modes of action has received grate attention in recent years. In this study, when the antibacterial potential of an acidic protein—NN-XIb-PLA2 (Naja naja venom phospholipase A2 fraction—XIb) of Naja naja venom was evaluated, it showed significant bactericidal action against the human pathogenic strains tested. It inhibited more effectively the gram positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, when compared to gram negative bacteria like Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiell pneumoniae and Salmonella paratyphi. It inhibited the bacterial growth, with a MIC values ranging from 17 to 20 µg/ml. It was interesting to observe that NN-XIb-PLA2 showed comparable antibacterial activity to the used standards antibiotics. It was found that their was a strong correlation between PLA2 activities, hemolytic and antibacterial activity. Furthermore, it is found that in the presence of p-bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB), there is a significant decrease in enzymatic activity and associated antibacterial activities, suggesting that a strong association exists between catalytic activity and antimicrobial effects, which thereby destabilize the membrane bilayer.
These studies encourage further in dept study on molecular mechanisms of bactericidal properties of NN-XIb-PLA2 and thereby help in development of this protein into a possible therapeutic lead molecule for treating bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Sudarshan
- Venom Research Unit, Adichunchanagiri Biotechnology and Cancer Research Institute (ABCRI), Balagangadharanatha Nagara, Mandya District, Mandya, Karnataka 571 448 India
| | - B L Dhananjaya
- Venom Research Unit, Adichunchanagiri Biotechnology and Cancer Research Institute (ABCRI), Balagangadharanatha Nagara, Mandya District, Mandya, Karnataka 571 448 India ; Toxinology/Toxicology and Drug Discovery Unit, Center for Emerging Technologies, Jain University, Jain Global Campus, Kanakapura Taluk, Ramanagara, Karnataka 562112 India
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Barros GAC, Pereira AV, Barros LC, Lourenço A, Calvi SA, Santos LD, Barraviera B, Ferreira RS. In vitro activity of phospholipase A2 and of peptides from Crotalus durissus terrificus venom against amastigote and promastigote forms of Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2015; 21:48. [PMID: 26609302 PMCID: PMC4658749 DOI: 10.1186/s40409-015-0049-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND American visceral leishmaniasis is caused by the intracellular parasite Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi, and transmitted by the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis. Since treatment is based on classical chemotherapeutics with significant side effects, the search for new drugs remains the greatest global challenge. Thus, this in vitro study aimed to evaluate the leishmanicidal effect of Crotalus durissus terrificus venom fractions on promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi. METHODS Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and a pool of peptide fraction (<3 kDa) were purified from Crotalus venom. Furthermore, promastigotes and peritoneal macrophages of mice infected by amastigotes were exposed to serial dilutions of the PLA2 and peptides at intervals varying between 1.5625 μg/mL and 200 μg/mL. Both showed activity against promastigotes that varied according to the tested concentration and the time of incubation (24, 48 and 72 h). RESULTS MTT assay for promastigotes showed IC50 of 52.07 μg/mL for PLA2 and 16.98 μg/mL for the peptide fraction of the venom. The cytotoxicity assessment in peritoneal macrophages showed IC50 of 98 μg/mL and 16.98 μg/mL for PLA2 and peptide by MTT assay, respectively. In peritoneal macrophages infected by Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi amastigotes, the PLA2 stimulated growth of parasites, and at higher doses reduced growth by 23 %. The peptide fraction prevented 43 % of the intracellular parasite growth at a dose of 16.98 μg/mL, demonstrating the toxicity of this dose to macrophages. Both fractions stimulated H2O2 production by macrophages but only PLA2 was able to stimulate NO production. CONCLUSION We have demonstrated the in vitro leishmanicidal activity of the PLA2 and peptide fraction of Crotalus venom. The results encourage further studies to describe the metabolic pathways involved in cell death, as well as the prospecting of molecules with antiparasitic activity present in the peptide fraction of Crotalus durissus terrificus venom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo A C Barros
- Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil
| | - Andreia V Pereira
- Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil
| | - Luciana C Barros
- Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP), São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil
| | - Airton Lourenço
- Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP), São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil
| | - Sueli A Calvi
- Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil
| | - Lucilene D Santos
- Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil ; Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP), São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil
| | - Benedito Barraviera
- Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil ; Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP), São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil
| | - Rui Seabra Ferreira
- Department of Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil ; Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP), São Paulo State University (UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, SP Brazil ; CEVAP/UNESP, Caixa Postal 577, Fazenda Experimental Lageado, Rua José Barbosa de Barros, 1780, 18610-307 Botucatu, SP Brasil
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Samy RP, Stiles BG, Chinnathambi A, Zayed ME, Alharbi SA, Franco OL, Rowan EG, Kumar AP, Lim LH, Sethi G. Viperatoxin-II: A novel viper venom protein as an effective bactericidal agent. FEBS Open Bio 2015; 5:928-41. [PMID: 26793432 DOI: 10.1016/j.fob.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Two novel viperatoxins (VipTx-I and VipTx-II) from Indian Russell’s viper snake venom were purified and characterized. VipTx-II but not VipTx-I showed strong antimicrobial effects against S. aureus and Burkholderia pseudomallei (strains KHW/TES), Proteus vulgaris and P. mirabilis. In broth dilution assays, VipTx-II had a potent bactericidal effect at the lowest dilutions against B. pseudomallei (strains KHW/TES), S. aureus and P. mirabilis. Protein-induced bactericidal potency was closely associated with pore formation and membrane damage. These proteins showed a low level of cytotoxic effects on human cells.
Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have become a rising threat to public health. There is an urgent need for development of promising new therapeutic agents against drug resistant bacteria like S. aureus. This report discusses purification and characterization of proteins from Indian Russell’s viper snake venom. Novel 15-kDa proteins called “Viperatoxin” (VipTx-I and VipTx-II) were extracted from the whole venom and evaluated using in vitro antimicrobial experiments. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of “Viperatoxin” showed high sequence homology to daboiatoxin isolated from the same venom and also matched phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes isolated from other snake venoms. In an in vitro plate assay, VipTx-II but not VipTx-I showed strong antimicrobial effects against S. aureus and Burkholderia pseudomallei (KHW & TES), Proteus vulgaris and P. mirabilis. The VipTx-II was further tested by a broth-dilution assay at 100–3.1 μg/ml concentrations. The most potent bactericidal effect was found at the lowest dilutions (MICs of 6.25 μg/ml) against B. pseudomallei, S. aureus and P. vulgaris (MICs of 12.25 μg/ml). Electron microscopic investigation revealed that the protein-induced bactericidal potency was closely associated with pore formation and membrane damage, even at the lowest concentrations (<20 μg/ml). The toxin caused a low level of cytotoxic effects as observed in human (THP-1) cells at higher concentrations. Molecular weight determinations of VipTx-II by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed one major, along with a few minor bands. The results indicate that VipTx-II plays a significant role in bactericidal and membrane damaging effects in vitro. Non-cytotoxic properties on human cells highlight it as a promising candidate for further evaluation of antimicrobial potential in vivo.
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Key Words
- Bactericidal
- Daboia russelli russelli
- MALDI-TOF/MS, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight/mass spectrometer
- MDR, multi-drug resistant
- MH, Mueller Hinton
- MICs, minimum inhibitory concentrations
- MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- MTXs, myotoxins
- PLA2, phospholipase A2
- Phospholipase A2
- SEM, scanning electron microscopy
- TEM, transmission electron microscopy
- TS, Tryptic Soya
- VipTx-I and VipTx-II, viperatoxins I and II
- Viperatoxin-I
- Viperatoxin-II
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Santos-Filho NA, Lorenzon EN, Ramos MAS, Santos CT, Piccoli JP, Bauab TM, Fusco-Almeida AM, Cilli EM. Synthesis and characterization of an antibacterial and non-toxic dimeric peptide derived from the C-terminal region of Bothropstoxin-I. Toxicon 2015; 103:160-8. [PMID: 26160494 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2015.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Revised: 06/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Infectious diseases are among the leading global causes of death, increasing the search for novel antibacterial agents. Among these, biologically active peptides are an excellent research tool. Using solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), this work aimed to synthesize the peptide derived from the C-terminal region of Bothropstoxin-I (BthTX-I) (p-BthTX-I, sequence: KKYRYHLKPFCKK), and its disulfide-linked dimeric form, obtained via air oxidation (p-BthTX-I)2. Two other peptides were synthesized to evaluate the dimerization effect on antimicrobial activity. In both sequences, the cysteine (Cys) residue was replaced by the serine (Ser) residue, differing, however, in their C-terminus position. The antimicrobial activity of the peptides against gram-negative (Escherichia (E.) coli) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus (S.) aureus) bacteria and yeast (Candida (C.) albicans) was evaluated. Interestingly, only peptides containing the Cys residue showed antimicrobial activity, suggesting the importance of Cys residue and its dimerization for the observed activity. Apparently, p-BthTX-I and (p-BthTX-I)2 did not promote lysis or form pores and were not able to interact with membranes. Furthermore, they neither showed antifungal activity against C. albicans nor toxicity against erythrocytes, epithelial cells, or macrophages, indicating a potential specificity against prokaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Esteban N Lorenzon
- Instituto de Química, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Matheus A S Ramos
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Claudia T Santos
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Julia P Piccoli
- Instituto de Química, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Tais M Bauab
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana M Fusco-Almeida
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo M Cilli
- Instituto de Química, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brazil.
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Sudarshan S, Dhananjaya BL. The Antimicrobial Activity of an Acidic Phospholipase A2 (NN-XIa-PLA2) from the Venom of Naja naja naja (Indian Cobra). Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2015; 176:2027-38. [DOI: 10.1007/s12010-015-1698-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Sudharshan S, Dhananjaya BL. Antibacterial potential of a basic phospholipase A2 (VRV-PL-VIIIa) from Daboia russelii pulchella (Russell's viper) venom. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2015; 21:17. [PMID: 26042153 PMCID: PMC4453231 DOI: 10.1186/s40409-015-0014-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Microbial/bacterial resistance against antibiotics poses a serious threat to public health. Furthermore, the side effects of these antibiotics have stimulated tremendous interest in developing new molecules from diverse organisms as therapeutic agents. This study evaluates the antibacterial potential of a basic protein, Vipera russellii venom phospholipase A2 fraction VIIIa (VRV-PL-VIIIa), from Daboia russelii pulchella venom against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Methods The antibacterial potential of VRV-PL-VIIIa in the presence and absence of an inhibitor (p-bromophenacyl bromide) was tested against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and the minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by microdilution tests. Results VRV-PL-VIIIa demonstrated potent antibacterial activities against all the human pathogenic strains tested. It more effectively inhibited such gram-positive bacteria as Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, when compared to the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella paratyphi. It inhibited bacterial growth at minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging from 11.1 to 19.2 μg/mL. The anti-bacterial potential of VRV-PL-VIIIa was comparable to the standards gentamycin, chlorophenicol and streptomycin. The PLA2’s hemolytic and antibacterial activities were strongly correlated. Furthermore, even in the presence of p-bromophenacyl bromide, intense antibacterial activity was observed, suggesting a dissociation or partial overlapping of the bactericidal/antimicrobial domains. Conclusion VRV-PL-VIIIa demonstrated potent antibacterial activities against all the human pathogenic strains tested. The study shows that despite a strong correlation between enzymatic and antimicrobial activities of VRV-PL-VIIIa, it may possess additional properties that mimic the bactericidal/membrane permeability-increasing protein. This study encourages further in-depth studies on the molecular mechanisms of antibacterial properties of VRV-PL-VIIIa, which would thereby facilitate development of this protein into a possible therapeutic lead molecule for treating bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivalingaiah Sudharshan
- Toxinology Group, Adichunchanagiri Biotechnology and Cancer Research Institute (ABCRI), Balagangadharanatha Nagara, Mandya District, Karnataka India
| | - Bhadrapura Lakkappa Dhananjaya
- Toxinology Group, Adichunchanagiri Biotechnology and Cancer Research Institute (ABCRI), Balagangadharanatha Nagara, Mandya District, Karnataka India ; Toxinology/Toxicology and Drug Discovery Unit, Center for Emerging Technologies (CET), Jain University, Jakksandra Post, Ramanagara, 562112 India
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40
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Reeks TA, Fry BG, Alewood PF. Privileged frameworks from snake venom. Cell Mol Life Sci 2015; 72:1939-58. [DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-1844-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Sudarshan S, Dhananjaya BL. Antibacterial potential of a basic phospholipase A2 (VRV-PL-V) of Daboia russellii pulchella (Russell's Viper) venom. Biochemistry (Mosc) 2014; 79:1237-44. [PMID: 25540009 DOI: 10.1134/s000629791411011x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Microbial/bacterial resistance against antibiotics is considered as a potentially serious threat to public health. Further, as these antibiotics elicit side effects, there is interest in developing new molecules with novel modes of action from diverse organisms. Along these lines, in this study the antibacterial potential of the basic protein VRV-PL-V (Vipera russellii venom phospholipase A2 fraction V) of Daboia russellii pulchella venom was evaluated. VRV-PL-V demonstrated a potent antibacterial activity against all the human pathogenic strains tested. It inhibited more effectively Gram-positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis when compared to Gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella paratyphi. It inhibited bacterial growth with MIC values ranging from 13 to 24 µg/ml. The antibacterial potential of VRV-PL-V was comparable to the standards used like gentamycin, chloramphenicol, and streptomycin. There was a strong correlation between PLA2 activities and hemolytic and antibacterial activity. It was found that even in the presence of p-bromophenacyl bromide (an inhibitor of PLA2 enzymatic activity), there was marked antibacterial activity, suggesting dissociation or partial overlapping of the bactericidal/antimicrobial domains. Therefore, this study shows that although there is a strong correlation between enzymatic and antimicrobial activities of VRV-PL-V, it may also possess other properties that mimic bactericidal/membrane permeability-increasing protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Sudarshan
- Venom Research Unit, Adichunchanagiri Biotechnology and Cancer Research Institute (ABCRI), Balagangadharanatha Nagara, Mandya District, Karnataka, 571 448, India
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de Moura AA, Kayano AM, Oliveira GA, Setúbal SS, Ribeiro JG, Barros NB, Nicolete R, Moura LA, Fuly AL, Nomizo A, da Silva SL, Fernandes CF, Zuliani JP, Stábeli RG, Soares AM, Calderon LA. Purification and biochemical characterization of three myotoxins from Bothrops mattogrossensis snake venom with toxicity against Leishmania and tumor cells. Biomed Res Int 2014; 2014:195356. [PMID: 24724078 DOI: 10.1155/2014/195356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 12/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Bothrops mattogrossensis snake is widely distributed throughout eastern South America and is responsible for snakebites in this region. This paper reports the purification and biochemical characterization of three new phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), one of which is presumably an enzymatically active Asp49 and two are very likely enzymatically inactive Lys49 PLA2 homologues. The purification was obtained after two chromatographic steps on ion exchange and reverse phase column. The 2D SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that the proteins have pI values around 10, are each made of a single chain, and have molecular masses near 13 kDa, which was confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The N-terminal similarity analysis of the sequences showed that the proteins are highly homologous with other Lys49 and Asp49 PLA2s from Bothrops species. The PLA2s isolated were named BmatTX-I (Lys49 PLA2-like), BmatTX-II (Lys49 PLA2-like), and BmatTX-III (Asp49 PLA2). The PLA2s induced cytokine release from mouse neutrophils and showed cytotoxicity towards JURKAT (leukemia T) and SK-BR-3 (breast adenocarcinoma) cell lines and promastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis. The structural and functional elucidation of snake venoms components may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of action of these proteins during envenomation and their potential pharmacological and therapeutic applications.
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43
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Samy RP, Kandasamy M, Gopalakrishnakone P, Stiles BG, Rowan EG, Becker D, Shanmugam MK, Sethi G, Chow VTK. Wound healing activity and mechanisms of action of an antibacterial protein from the venom of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). PLoS One 2014; 9:e80199. [PMID: 24551028 PMCID: PMC3925076 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2013] [Accepted: 09/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Basic phospholipase A2 was identified from the venom of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. The Crotalus adamanteus toxin-II (CaTx-II) induced bactericidal effects (7.8 µg/ml) on Staphylococcus aureus, while on Burkholderia pseudomallei (KHW), and Enterobacter aerogenes were killed at 15.6 µg/ml. CaTx-II caused pore formation and membrane damaging effects on the bacterial cell wall. CaTx-II was not cytotoxic on lung (MRC-5), skin fibroblast (HEPK) cells and in mice. CaTx-II-treated mice showed significant wound closure and complete healing by 16 days as compared to untreated controls (**P<0.01). Histological examination revealed enhanced collagen synthesis and neovascularization after treatment with CaTx-II versus 2% Fusidic Acid ointment (FAO) treated controls. Measurement of tissue cytokines revealed that interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) expression in CaTx-II treated mice was significantly suppressed versus untreated controls. In contrast, cytokines involved in wound healing and cell migration i.e., monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), fibroblast growth factor-basic (FGF-b), chemokine (KC), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were significantly enhanced in CaTx-II treated mice, but not in the controls. CaTx-II also modulated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation during skin wound healing. The CaTx-II protein highlights distinct snake proteins as a potential source of novel antimicrobial agents with significant therapeutic application for bacterial skin infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramar Perumal Samy
- Venom and Toxin Research Programme, Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Infectious Diseases Programme, Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail:
| | - Matheswaran Kandasamy
- Infection & Immunity Programme, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Brenner Centre for Molecular Medicine, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ponnampalam Gopalakrishnakone
- Venom and Toxin Research Programme, Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bradley G. Stiles
- Integrated Toxicology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Edward G. Rowan
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - David Becker
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Muthu K. Shanmugam
- Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Research Centre, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Research Centre, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vincent T. K. Chow
- Infectious Diseases Programme, Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Chérifi F, Namane A, Laraba-djebari F. Isolation, Functional Characterization and Proteomic Identification of CC2-PLA2 from Cerastes cerastes Venom: A Basic Platelet-Aggregation-Inhibiting Factor. Protein J 2014; 33:61-74. [DOI: 10.1007/s10930-013-9534-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Guzmán F, Marshall S, Ojeda C, Albericio F, Carvajal-Rondanelli P. Inhibitory effect of short cationic homopeptides against gram-positive bacteria. J Pept Sci 2013; 19:792-800. [PMID: 24243601 DOI: 10.1002/psc.2578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2013] [Revised: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 10/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In the selection or design of antimicrobial peptides, the key role played by cationic amino acids and chain length on the inhibitory potency and specificity is not clear. A fundamental study was conducted using chemically synthesized homopeptides of L-Lys and L-Arg ranging from 7 to 14 residues. Their effect on growth inhibition was evaluated over a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria at different levels of concentration. Interestingly, at lower concentrations (10 μM), Lys homopeptides with odd number of residues, especially with 11 residues, showed a broader inhibitory activity than those with even number of residues. At higher peptide concentrations (>20 μM), the inhibitory activity of Lys homopeptides was directly related to the number of residues in the chain. In contrast, Arg homopeptides, at lower concentrations, did not exhibit a defined pattern of bacterial inhibition related to the number of residues; however, at higher concentrations (>20 μM), the inhibitory effects were more pronounced. Lys homopeptides at concentrations up to 300 μM showed a remarkably lower toxicity against CHSE-214 cells. Arg homopeptides exhibited negligible cytotoxicity up to chain length of 11 residues at concentrations lower than 100 μM, but an abrupt increase in toxicity resulted when the peptide chain length reached 12 amino acid residues and higher concentrations. All synthesized homopeptides displayed characteristic polyproline II helix conformation in both buffer and liposomes, as shown by CD spectroscopy. This result suggests that short Lys homopeptides with an odd number of residues (9 and 11) have a broad spectrum of activity against Gram-positive bacterial cells compared with Arg homopeptides, which in turn showed a considerably higher selectivity toward those cells. By investigating the differences between Lys and Arg homopeptides, this study contributes to the understanding of their mechanism of growth inhibition and selectivity. Thus, it provides further guidelines for a rational design of short antimicrobial peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Guzmán
- Núcleo de Biotecnología de Curauma, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avenida Brasil 2950, Valparaíso, Chile and Fraunhofer Chile Research Foundation, Santiago, Chile
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Cecilio AB, Caldas S, Oliveira RA, Santos AS, Richardson M, Naumann GB, Schneider FS, Alvarenga VG, Estevão-Costa MI, Fuly AL, Eble JA, Sanchez EF. Molecular characterization of Lys49 and Asp49 phospholipases A₂from snake venom and their antiviral activities against Dengue virus. Toxins (Basel) 2013; 5:1780-98. [PMID: 24131891 DOI: 10.3390/toxins5101780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2013] [Revised: 09/11/2013] [Accepted: 09/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
We report the detailed molecular characterization of two PLA2s, Lys49 and Asp49 isolated from Bothrops leucurus venom, and examined their effects against Dengue virus (DENV). The Bl-PLA2s, named BlK-PLA2 and BlD-PLA2, are composed of 121 and 122 amino acids determined by automated sequencing of the native proteins and peptides produced by digestion with trypsin. They contain fourteen cysteines with pIs of 9.05 and 8.18 for BlK- and BlD-PLA2s, and show a high degree of sequence similarity to homologous snake venom PLA2s, but may display different biological effects. Molecular masses of 13,689.220 (Lys49) and 13,978.386 (Asp49) were determined by mass spectrometry. DENV causes a prevalent arboviral disease in humans, and no clinically approved antiviral therapy is currently available to treat DENV infections. The maximum non-toxic concentration of the proteins to LLC-MK2 cells determined by MTT assay was 40 µg/mL for Bl-PLA2s (pool) and 20 µg/mL for each isoform. Antiviral effects of Bl-PLA2s were assessed by quantitative Real-Time PCR. Bl-PLA2s were able to reduce DENV-1, DENV-2, and DENV-3 serotypes in LLC-MK2 cells infection. Our data provide further insight into the structural properties and their antiviral activity against DENV, opening up possibilities for biotechnological applications of these Bl-PLA2s as tools of research.
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Conlon JM, Attoub S, Arafat H, Mechkarska M, Casewell NR, Harrison RA, Calvete JJ. Cytotoxic activities of [Ser⁴⁹]phospholipase A₂ from the venom of the saw-scaled vipers Echis ocellatus, Echis pyramidum leakeyi, Echis carinatus sochureki, and Echis coloratus. Toxicon 2013; 71:96-104. [PMID: 23747272 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2013.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2013] [Revised: 05/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Fractionation by reversed-phase HPLC of venom from four species of saw-scaled viper: Echis ocellatus, Echis pyramidum leakeyi, Echis carinatus sochureki, and Echis coloratus led to identification in each sample of an abundant protein with cytotoxic activity against human non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. The active component in each case was identified by MALDI-TOF mass fingerprinting of tryptic digests as [Ser⁴⁹]phospholipase A₂ ([Ser⁴⁹]PLA₂). An isoform of [Ser⁴⁹]PLA₂ containing the single Ala¹⁸→ Val substitution and a partially characterized [Asp⁴⁹]PLA₂ were also present in the E. coloratus venom. LC₅₀ values against A549 cells for the purified [Ser⁴⁹]PLA₂ proteins from the four species are in the range 2.9-8.5 μM. This range is not significantly different from the range of LC₅₀ values against human umbilical vein endothelial HUVEC cells (2.5-12.2 μM) indicating that the [Ser⁴⁹]PLA₂ proteins show no differential anti-tumor activity. The LC₅₀ value for [Ser⁴⁹]PLA₂ from E. ocellatus against human erythrocytes is >100 μM and the MIC values against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus are >100 μM. It is suggested that the [Ser⁴⁹]PLA₂ proteins play a major role in producing local tissue necrosis and hemorrhage at the site of envenomation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Michael Conlon
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 17666, United Arab Emirates.
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Nunes DCO, Figueira MMNR, Lopes DS, De Souza DLN, Izidoro LFM, Ferro EAV, Souza MA, Rodrigues RS, Rodrigues VM, Yoneyama KAG. BnSP-7 toxin, a basic phospholipase A 2 from Bothrops pauloensis snake venom, interferes with proliferation, ultrastructure and infectivity of Leishmania ( Leishmania ) amazonensis. Parasitology 2013; 140:844-54. [DOI: 10.1017/s0031182013000012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
SUMMARYThis paper reports the effects of BnSP-7 toxin, a catalytically inactive phospholipase A2 from Bothrops pauloensis snake venom, on Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. BnSP-7 presented activity against promastigote parasite forms both in the MTT assay, with IC50 of 58·7 μg mL−1 of toxin, and a growth curve, inhibiting parasite proliferation 60–70% at concentrations of 50–200 μg mL−1 of toxin 96 h after treatment. Also, the toxin presented effects on amastigotes, reducing parasite viability by 50% at 28·1 μg mL−1 and delaying the amastigote–promastigote differentiation process. Ultrastructural studies showed that BnSP-7 caused severe morphological changes in promastigotes such as mitochondrial swelling, nuclear alteration, vacuolization, acidocalcisomes, multiflagellar aspects and a blebbing effect in the plasma membrane. Finally, BnSP-7 interfered with the infective capacity of promastigotes in murine peritoneal macrophages, causing statistically significant infectivity-index reductions (P < 0·05) of 20–35%. These data suggest that the BnSP-7 toxin is an important tool for the discovery of new parasite targets that can be exploited to develop new drugs for treating leishmaniasis.
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49
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Samel M, Vija H, Kurvet I, Künnis-Beres K, Trummal K, Subbi J, Kahru A, Siigur J. Interactions of PLA2-s from Vipera lebetina, Vipera berus berus and Naja naja oxiana venom with platelets, bacterial and cancer cells. Toxins (Basel) 2013; 5:203-23. [PMID: 23348053 DOI: 10.3390/toxins5020203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2012] [Revised: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 01/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Secretory phospholipasesA2 (sPLA2s) form a large family of structurally related enzymes widespread in nature. Herein, we studied the inhibitory effects of sPLA2s from Vipera lebetina (VLPLA2), Vipera berus berus (VBBPLA2), and Naja naja oxiana (NNOPLA2) venoms on (i) human platelets, (ii) four different bacterial strains (gram-negative Escherichia coli and Vibrio fischeri; gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and (iii) five types of cancer cells (PC-3, LNCaP, MCF-7, K-562 and B16-F10) in vitro. sPLA2s inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation: VBBPLA2 IC50 = 0.054, VLPLA2 IC50 = 0.072, NNOPLA2 IC50 = 0.814 μM. p-Bromophenacylbromide-inhibited sPLA2 had no inhibitory action on platelets. 36.17 μM VBBPLA2 completely inhibited the growth of gram-positive Bacillus subtilis whereas no growth inhibition was observed towards gram-negative Escherichia coli. The inhibitory action of sPLA2s (~0.7 μM and ~7 μM) towards cancer cells depended on both venom and cell type. VBBPLA2 (7.2 μM) inhibited significantly the viability of K-562 cells and the cell death appeared apoptotic. The sPLA2s exhibited no inhibitory effect towards LNCaP cells and some effect (8%–20%) towards other cells. Thus, already sub-μM concentrations of sPLA2s inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation and from the current suite of studied svPLA2s and test cells, VBBPLA2 was the most growth inhibitory towards Bacillus subtilis and K-562 cells.
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50
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Ullah A, Souza T, Betzel C, Murakami M, Arni R. Crystallographic portrayal of different conformational states of a Lys49 phospholipase A2 homologue: Insights into structural determinants for myotoxicity and dimeric configuration. Int J Biol Macromol 2012; 51:209-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2012.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2012] [Revised: 04/28/2012] [Accepted: 05/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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