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Nasr S, Borges A, Sahyoun C, Nasr R, Roufayel R, Legros C, Sabatier JM, Fajloun Z. Scorpion Venom as a Source of Antimicrobial Peptides: Overview of Biomolecule Separation, Analysis and Characterization Methods. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:1380. [PMID: 37760677 PMCID: PMC10525675 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12091380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Scorpion venoms have long captivated scientific researchers, primarily due to the potency and specificity of the mechanism of action of their derived components. Among other molecules, these venoms contain highly active compounds, including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and ion channel-specific components that selectively target biological receptors with remarkable affinity. Some of these receptors have emerged as prime therapeutic targets for addressing various human pathologies, including cancer and infectious diseases, and have served as models for designing novel drugs. Consequently, extensive biochemical and proteomic investigations have focused on characterizing scorpion venoms. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the key methodologies used in the extraction, purification, analysis, and characterization of AMPs and other bioactive molecules present in scorpion venoms. Noteworthy techniques such as gel electrophoresis, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, size exclusion chromatography, and "omics" approaches are explored, along with various combinations of methods that enable bioassay-guided venom fractionation. Furthermore, this review presents four adapted proteomic workflows that lead to the comprehensive dissection of the scorpion venom proteome, with an emphasis on AMPs. These workflows differ based on whether the venom is pre-fractionated using separation techniques or is proteolytically digested directly before further proteomic analyses. Since the composition and functionality of scorpion venoms are species-specific, the selection and sequence of the techniques for venom analyses, including these workflows, should be tailored to the specific parameters of the study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Nasr
- Laboratory of Applied Biotechnology (LBA3B), Azm Center for Research in Biotechnology and Its Applications, EDST, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon; (S.N.); (C.S.)
| | - Adolfo Borges
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de Toxinas y Receptores, Instituto de Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas 50587, Venezuela;
- Centro para el Desarrollo de la Investigación Científica, Asunción 1255, Paraguay
| | - Christina Sahyoun
- Laboratory of Applied Biotechnology (LBA3B), Azm Center for Research in Biotechnology and Its Applications, EDST, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon; (S.N.); (C.S.)
- Univ Angers, INSERM, CNRS, MITOVASC, Team 2 CarMe, SFR ICAT, 49000 Angers, France
| | - Riad Nasr
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Public Health 3, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1200, Lebanon;
| | - Rabih Roufayel
- College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Egaila 54200, Kuwait;
| | - Christian Legros
- Univ Angers, INSERM, CNRS, MITOVASC, Team 2 CarMe, SFR ICAT, 49000 Angers, France
| | - Jean-Marc Sabatier
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, INP, Inst Neurophysiopathol, 13385 Marseille, France
| | - Ziad Fajloun
- Laboratory of Applied Biotechnology (LBA3B), Azm Center for Research in Biotechnology and Its Applications, EDST, Lebanese University, Tripoli 1300, Lebanon; (S.N.); (C.S.)
- Faculty of Sciences 3, Department of Biology, Lebanese University, Campus Michel Slayman Ras Maska, Tripoli 1352, Lebanon
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Yekany LV, Babapour Mofrad F, Shirmardi SP, Erfani M, Zare Mirakabadi A. Preparation and radiolabeling of Iranian Androctonus crassicauda scorpion venom with technetium-99m as a new agent for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. RADIOCHIM ACTA 2022. [DOI: 10.1515/ract-2022-0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
One of the innovative methods in cancer treatment with fewer side effects is the use of active principles produced by animals and microorganisms to generate new drugs with diagnosis and treatment capability for cancer. Androctonus crassicauda scorpion venom has high potential as an anti-tumor agent and has the ability to interfere with human physiology but is still unknown. Therefore, labeling venom with radionuclides is very important to study the biological distribution of toxins for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes of various diseases, especially cancer. In this research, the toxic fraction of this venom was labeled with 99mTc. The radiochemical purity of the labeled toxic fraction was obtained by using chromatographic systems. Animal biodistribution studies were performed after injecting the labeled compound into normal rats and 4T1 breast cancer-bearing mice. The radiochemical purity of 90% was obtained for labeled compound. Biological distribution studies showed relatively rapid clearance of the labeled compound from the blood circulation system. The accumulation of the labeled compound in the liver and kidney was the highest among the organs, which could indicate the possibility of toxin excretion metabolism from liver and the kidneys. The accumulation rate of the labeled compound after 15 min was 7% in the breast cancer mass, and the ratio of the distribution of the labeled compound in the breast cancer mass to the blood was 155% at 15 min post injection. The study results indicated that scorpion venom labeling with 99mTc could be a useful tool for the biodistribution and kinetic studies of the venoms for clinical use. On the other hand, based on the results of the biological distribution of the labeled compound in tumor-bearing mice, the 99mTc-venom complex can be used as an imaging agent to diagnose breast cancer. Moreover at the same time, with some measures, it can be used as a therapeutic agent for breast cancer with more consideration. We hope that the results of this study will be a step in the future for the clinical diagnostic and therapeutic purposes of cancer using natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Valipour Yekany
- Department of Medical Radiation Engineering, Science and Research Branch , Islamic Azad University , Tehran , Iran
| | - Farshid Babapour Mofrad
- Department of Medical Radiation Engineering, Science and Research Branch , Islamic Azad University , Tehran , Iran
| | - Seyed Pezhman Shirmardi
- Radiation Applications Research School , Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI) , Tehran , Iran
| | - Mostafa Erfani
- Radiation Applications Research School , Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI) , Tehran , Iran
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Bermúdez-Guzmán MJ, Jiménez-Vargas JM, Possani LD, Zamudio F, Orozco-Gutiérrez G, Oceguera-Contreras E, Enríquez-Vara JN, Vazquez-Vuelvas OF, García-Villalvazo PE, Valdez-Velázquez LL. Biochemical characterization and insecticidal activity of isolated peptides from the venom of the scorpion Centruroides tecomanus. Toxicon 2022; 206:90-102. [PMID: 34973996 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The venom of scorpions is a mixture of components that constitute a source of bioactive molecules. The venom of the scorpion Centruroides tecomanus contains peptides toxic to insects, however, to date no toxin responsible for this activity has yet been isolated and fully characterized. This communication describes two new peptides Ct-IT1 and Ct-IT2 purified from this scorpion. Both peptides contain 63 amino acids with molecular weight 6857.85 for Ct-IT1 and 6987.77 Da for Ct-IT2. The soluble venom was separated using chromatographic techniques of molecular size exclusion, cationic exchange, and reverse phase chromatography, allowing the identification of at least 99 components of which in 53 the insecticidal activity was evaluated. The LD50 determined for Ct-IT1 is 3.81 μg/100 mg of cricket weight, but low amounts of peptides (0.8 μg of peptide) already cause paralysis in crickets. The relative abundance of these two peptides in the venom is 2.1% for Ct-IT1 and 1% for Ct-IT2. The molecular masses and N-terminal sequences of both insecticidal toxins were determined by mass spectrometry and Edman degradation. The primary structure of both toxins was compared with other known peptides isolated from other scorpion venoms. The analysis of the sequence alignments revealed the position of a highly conserved amino acid residue, Gly39, exclusively present in anti-insect selective depressant β-toxins (DBTXs), which in Ct-IT1 and Ct-IT2 is at position Gly40. Similarly, a three-dimensional structure of this toxins was obtained by homology modeling and compared to the structure of known insect toxins of scorpions. An important similarity of the cavity formed by the trapping apparatus region of the depressant toxin LqhIT2, isolated from the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus hebraeus, was found in the toxins described here. These results indicate that Ct-IT1 and Ct-IT2 toxins have a high potential to be evaluated on pests that affect economically important crops to eventually consider them as a potential biological control method.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Bermúdez-Guzmán
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México; Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Km. 35 Carretera Colima-Manzanillo, C.P. 28100, Tecomán, Colima, México
| | - J M Jiménez-Vargas
- CONACYT-Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - L D Possani
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad, 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, C.P. 510-3, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - F Zamudio
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad, 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, C.P. 510-3, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - G Orozco-Gutiérrez
- Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), Km. 35 Carretera Colima-Manzanillo, C.P. 28100, Tecomán, Colima, México
| | - E Oceguera-Contreras
- Centro Universitario de los Valles, Universidad de Guadalajara, Km. 45.5 Carretera Guadalajara-Ameca, Ameca, Jalisco, México
| | - J N Enríquez-Vara
- CONACYT-Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco A.C., Camino Arenero 1227, Col. El Bajío C.P. 45019, Zapopan, Jalisco, México
| | - O F Vazquez-Vuelvas
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - P E García-Villalvazo
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México
| | - L L Valdez-Velázquez
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad de Colima, Km. 9 Carretera Colima-Coquimatlán, C.P. 28400, Coquimatlán, Colima, México.
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Bayatzadeh MA, Zare Mirakabadi A, Babaei N, Doulah A, Doosti A. Expression and purification of recombinant alpha-toxin AnCra1 from the scorpion Androctonus crassicauda and its functional characterization on mammalian sodium channels. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:6303-6312. [PMID: 34379289 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06624-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alpha-scorpion toxins with long-chain peptide and four disulfide bonds represent diverse pharmacological profiles for various subtypes of voltage-gated sodium channels. Obtaining the natural toxins are difficult and time-consuming process, which represents the major difficulty to interpreting analysis of their structural and functional properties. METHODS AND RESULTS This study describes the toxin peptide and plasmid construct containing the gene coding for mammalian toxin AnCra1 from the scorpion Androctonus crassicauda venom. We have established genetic construction of fusion protein in pET32a + vector containing thioredoxin (Trx-tag), enterokinase cleavage site and 6xhistidine-tag for efficient expression in Escherichia coli strain RG2 (DE3). The soluble expressed peptide, then purified by Ni-NTA resin affinity chromatography and its purity was confirmed by reverse-phase HPLC and mass spectrometry (7433.54 Da.). The electrophysiological data showed that recombinant AnCra1 selectively inhibits the fast inactivation of hNav1.7 channel (EC50 = 136.7 ± 6.6 nM). CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that the AnCra1 is structurally and functionally analogous to alpha excitatory toxins; furthermore, expression and purification of bioactive scorpion toxins in bacterial cells can be a practicable and efficient way to obtain a novel source of toxin peptides as tools to study the function and physiological responses of ion channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Ali Bayatzadeh
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Bushehr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Abbas Zare Mirakabadi
- Venomous Animals and Antivenom Production Department, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research- Education and Extension Organization, Hesarak, Karaj, Alborz, Iran.
| | - Nahid Babaei
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Bushehr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Abdolhassan Doulah
- Department of Nursing, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Abbas Doosti
- Biotechnology Research Center, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
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