title: Antibacterial and antiparasitic effects of Bothropoides lutzi venom.
abstract: The therapeutic potential of toxins has aroused great interest in the scientific community. Microbial resistance is a serious current public health problem, in part because of the wide use of antimicrobial drugs. Furthermore, there are several problems in the treatment of parasitic diseases such as leishmaniosis and Chagas' disease, including the low efficacy in some clinical phases of the diseases and the loss of effectiveness of benzonidazole in the chronic phase of Chagas' disease. In this context, the aim of this work was to study the antimicrobial and antiparasitic effects of Bothropoides lutzi total venom (BltTV). The venom exerted an antibacterial effect on S. aureus, with MIC=MLC=200 microg/mL. The inhibitory effects of BltTV on promastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis and L. chagasi were assessed by counting of viable cells after incubation with BltTV. IC50 values of 234.6 microg/mL and 61.2 microg/mL, were obtained, respectively. Furthermore, the venom repressed epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi growth. Finally, BltTV was verified to affect murine peritoneal macrophages, causing a cytotoxic effect at the highest concentrations (100 and 50 microg/mL). In conclusion, Bothropoides lutzi venom demonstrated antibacterial and antiparasite effects, suggesting that the venom contains some substance(s) of therapeutic value.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ramon R P P B
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: de Menezes
authors.forename: Alba F C
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Thiala S J
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Daniel F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.forename: Danya B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Diva B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Norjosa
authors.forename: Nádia A P
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: Maria F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Márcia R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Helena S A
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Alice M C
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017837:Bothrops; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007891:Leishmania / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D003435:Crotalid Venoms