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Lobba ARM, Alvarez-Flores MP, Fessel MR, Buri MV, Oliveira DS, Gomes RN, Cunegundes PS, DeOcesano-Pereira C, Cinel VD, Chudzinski-Tavassi AM. A Kunitz-type inhibitor from tick salivary glands: A promising novel antitumor drug candidate. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:936107. [PMID: 36052162 PMCID: PMC9424826 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.936107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Salivary glands are vital structures responsible for successful tick feeding. The saliva of ticks contains numerous active molecules that participate in several physiological processes. A Kunitz-type factor Xa (FXa) inhibitor, similar to the tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) precursor, was identified in the salivary gland transcriptome of Amblyomma sculptum ticks. The recombinant mature form of this Kunitz-type inhibitor, named Amblyomin-X, displayed anticoagulant, antiangiogenic, and antitumor properties. Amblyomin-X is a protein that inhibits FXa in the blood coagulation cascade and acts via non-hemostatic mechanisms, such as proteasome inhibition. Amblyomin-X selectively induces apoptosis in cancer cells and promotes tumor regression through these mechanisms. Notably, the cytotoxicity of Amblyomin-X seems to be restricted to tumor cells and does not affect non-tumorigenic cells, tissues, and organs, making this recombinant protein an attractive molecule for anticancer therapy. The cytotoxic activity of Amblyomin-X on tumor cells has led to vast exploration into this protein. Here, we summarize the function, action mechanisms, structural features, pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution of this tick Kunitz-type inhibitor recombinant protein as a promising novel antitumor drug candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline R. M. Lobba
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Miryam Paola Alvarez-Flores
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Melissa Regina Fessel
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcus Vinicius Buri
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Douglas S. Oliveira
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Biochemistry Department, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata N. Gomes
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Priscila S. Cunegundes
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Biochemistry Department, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos DeOcesano-Pereira
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Victor D. Cinel
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Biochemistry Department, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana M. Chudzinski-Tavassi
- Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery-CENTD, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Development and Innovation Centre, Butantan Institute, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Biochemistry Department, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Ana M. Chudzinski-Tavassi,
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Štibrániová I, Bartíková P, Holíková V, Kazimírová M. Deciphering Biological Processes at the Tick-Host Interface Opens New Strategies for Treatment of Human Diseases. Front Physiol 2019; 10:830. [PMID: 31333488 PMCID: PMC6617849 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ticks are obligatory blood-feeding ectoparasites, causing blood loss and skin damage in their hosts. In addition, ticks also transmit a number of various pathogenic microorganisms that cause serious diseases in humans and animals. Ticks evolved a wide array of salivary bioactive compounds that, upon injection into the host skin, inhibit or modulate host reactions such as hemostasis, inflammation and wound healing. Modulation of the tick attachment site in the host skin involves mainly molecules which affect physiological processes orchestrated by cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. Suppressing host defense reactions is crucial for tick survival and reproduction. Furthermore, pharmacologically active compounds in tick saliva have a promising therapeutic potential for treatment of some human diseases connected with disorders in hemostasis and immune system. These disorders are often associated to alterations in signaling pathways and dysregulation or overexpression of specific cytokines which, in turn, affect mechanisms of angiogenesis, cell motility and cytoskeletal regulation. Moreover, tick salivary molecules were found to exert cytotoxic and cytolytic effects on various tumor cells and have anti-angiogenic properties. Elucidation of the mode of action of tick bioactive molecules on the regulation of cell processes in their mammalian hosts could provide new tools for understanding the complex changes leading to immune disorders and cancer. Tick bioactive molecules may also be exploited as new pharmacological inhibitors of the signaling pathways of cytokines and thus help alleviate patient discomfort and increase patient survival. We review the current knowledge about tick salivary peptides and proteins that have been identified and functionally characterized in in vitro and/or in vivo models and their therapeutic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iveta Štibrániová
- Biomedical Research Center, Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Pavlína Bartíková
- Biomedical Research Center, Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Viera Holíková
- Biomedical Research Center, Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Mária Kazimírová
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
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Maria DA, Will SEAL, Bosch RV, Souza JG, Sciani JM, Goldfeder MB, Rondon GG, Chudzinski-Tavassi AM. Preclinical evaluation of Amblyomin-X, a Kunitz-type protease inhibitor with antitumor activity. Toxicol Rep 2018; 6:51-63. [PMID: 30581760 PMCID: PMC6298944 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2018.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Amblyomin-X is a recombinant protein with selective antitumor activity, causing tumor reduction in vivo. Acute and subchronic toxicity studies shows low toxicity in healthy mice, with reversible adverse effects. Amblyomin-X toxicity profile was defined.
Amblyomin-X, a Kunitz-type protease inhibitor, is a recombinant protein that selectively induces apoptosis in tumor cells and promotes tumor reduction in vivo in melanoma animal models. Furthermore, Amblyomin-X was able to drastically reduce lung metastasis in a mice orthotopic kidney tumor model. Due to its antitumor activity, Amblyomin-X potential to become a new drug is currently under investigation, therefore the aim of the present study was to perform preclinical assays to evaluate Amblyomin-X toxicity in healthy mice. Exploratory toxicity assays have shown that treatment with 512 mg/kg of Amblyomin-X lead to animal mortality, therefore two groups of treatment were evaluated in the present work: in the acute toxicity assay, animals were injected once with doses ranging from 4 to 256 mg/kg of Amblyomin-X, while in the subacute toxicity assay, animals were injected with 0.25, 0.57 and 1 mg/kg of Amblyomin-X daily, during 28 days. Following this treatment regimens, Amblyomin-X did not cause any mortality; moreover, toxicity signs were discrete, reversible and observed only at the higher doses, thus establishing a safety profile for administration in mice, which can be further used to determine the dose translation of this novel drug candidate for treatment in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Durvanei A Maria
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, 05503-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Sonia Elisabete A L Will
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, 05503-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Rosemary V Bosch
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, 05503-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Jean G Souza
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, 05503-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliana M Sciani
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, 05503-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Mauricio B Goldfeder
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, 05503-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Giuliana G Rondon
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, 05503-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Ana M Chudzinski-Tavassi
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500, São Paulo, 05503-900, SP, Brazil
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Chudzinski-Tavassi AM, Morais KLP, Pacheco MTF, Pasqualoto KFM, de Souza JG. Tick salivary gland as potential natural source for the discovery of promising antitumor drug candidates. Biomed Pharmacother 2015; 77:14-9. [PMID: 26796259 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2015.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, the relationship between cancer blood coagulation is well established. Regarding biodiversity and bioprospection, the tick biology has become quite attractive natural source for coagulation inhibitors, since its saliva has a very rich variety of bioactive molecules. For instance, a Kunitz-type FXa inhibitor, named Amblyomin-X, was found through transcriptome of the salivary gland of the Amblyomma cajennense. tick. This TFPI-like inhibitor, after obtained as recombinant protein, has presented anticoagulant, antigionenic, and antitumor properties. Although its effects on blood coagulation could be relevant for antitumor effect, Amblyomin-X acts by non-hemostatic mechanisms, such as proteasome inhibition and autophagy inhibition. Notably, cytotoxicity was not observed on non-tumor cells treated with this protein, suggesting some selectivity for tumor cells. Considering the current efforts in order to develop effective anticancer therapies, the findings presented in this review strongly suggest Amblyomin-X as a promising novel antitumor drug candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katia L P Morais
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Laboratory, Butantan Institute, SP, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | - Jean Gabriel de Souza
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Laboratory, Butantan Institute, SP, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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