Venom Components of Iranian Scorpion Hemiscorpius lepturus Inhibit the Growth and Replication of Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1).
During the recent years, significant progress has been achieved on development of novel anti-viral drugs. Natural products are assumed as the potential sources of novel anti-viral drugs; therefore, there are some previous studies reporting the anti-viral compounds from venomous animals. Based on the significant value for tracing of non-toxic anti-viral agents from natural resources, this study was aimed to investigate the anti-viral activity of some HPLC purified fractions derived from the venom of Iranian scorpion, Hemiscorpius lepturus, against human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1).



H. Lepturus crude venom was subjected to reverse phase HPLC analysis to determine its active components precisely where four dominant fractions obtained at retention time of 156-160 minutes. The phospholipase A2 and hemolytic activities of the purified fractions were first evaluated. Then the anti-viral activity was measured using single cycle HIV (NL4-3) replication and HSV (KOS) plaque reduction assays.



The H. lepturus crude venom inhibited HIV replication by 73% at the concentration of 200 µg/ml, while it did not show significant anti-HSV activity. It also inhibited the cell-free viral particles in a virucidal assay, while it showed no toxicity for the target cells in a proliferation assay. The four HPLC fractions purified from H. lepturus inhibited HIV with IC50 of 20 µg/ml.



H. lepturus venom contains components with considerable anti-HIV activity insofar as it has virucidal activity that offers a novel therapeutic approach against HIV infection. Our results suggest a promising pilot for anti-HIV drug discovery with H. lepturus scorpion venom.
Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Rezvan
R
Zabihollahi
Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Kamran
K
Pooshang Bagheri
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Zohreh
Z
Keshavarz
Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Fatemeh
F
Motevalli
Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Golnaz
G
Bahramali
Department of Microbiology; Pasteur Institute of Iran; Tehran, Iran.
Seyed Davar
SD
Siadat
Department of Pilot Nano-Biotechnology, Pasteur institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Seyed Bahman
SB
Momen
Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Delavar
D
Shahbazzadeh
Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Reza
MR
Aghasadeghi
D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000254:growth & development*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D010740:Phospholipases / Q000378:metabolism; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012605:Scorpions / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014709:Vero Cells
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012604:Scorpion Venoms; D010740:Phospholipases
Hemiscorpius lepturus; Herpes simplex virus (HSV); Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); Venom