Trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activities of different antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) isolated from aquatic animals.
Most of the available animal antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been tested against bacteria and fungi, but very few against protozoan parasites. In the present study, we investigated the antiparasitic activity of different AMPs isolated from aquatic animals: tachyplesin (Tach, from Tachypleus tridentatus), magainin (Mag, from Xenopus laevis), clavanin (Clav, from Styela clava), penaeidin (Pen, from Litopenaeus vannamei), mytilin (Myt, from Mytilus edulis) and anti-lipopolysaccharide factor (ALF, from Penaeus monodon). The antiparasitic activity was evaluated against the promastigote form of Leishmania braziliensis and epi and trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi, through the MTT method. Tach was the most potent peptide, killing completely L. braziliensis and trypomastigote T. cruzi from 12.5microM, whereas Pen and Clav were weakly active against trypomastigotes and Myt against L. braziliensis, only at a high concentration (100microM). Tach and Mag were markedly hemolytic at high concentrations, whereas the other peptides caused only a slight hemolysis (<10% up to 50microM). Our results point to Tach as the only potential candidate for further investigation and potential application as a therapeutic agent.
Löfgren
S E
SE
Laboratório de Imunologia Aplicada a Aqüicultura, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Embriologia e Genética, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, CP. 476, CEP 88040-900, Florianópolis/SC, Brazil.
Miletti
L C
LC
Steindel
M
M
Bachère
E
E
Barracco
M A
MA
D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D060829:Arthropod Proteins; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D006461:Hemolysis; D006737:Horseshoe Crabs / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007447:Invertebrate Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology; D007892:Leishmania braziliensis / Q000187:drug effects*; D054806:Magainins / Q000494:pharmacology; D049880:Mytilus edulis / Q000737:chemistry; D033561:Penaeidae / Q000737:chemistry; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects*; D014561:Urochordata / Q000737:chemistry; D014982:Xenopus laevis
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D060829:Arthropod Proteins; D001798:Blood Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007447:Invertebrate Hormones; D054806:Magainins; D010455:Peptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; C034705:antilipopolysaccharide factor (Limulus); C106713:clavanin A; C408470:mytilin; C109158:penaeidin 3; C057636:tachyplesin peptide, Tachypleus tridentatus