Antiretroviral and cytotoxic activities of Tityus obscurus synthetic peptide.
New drugs are constantly in demand, and nature's biodiversity is a rich source of new compounds for therapeutic applications. Synthetic peptides based on the transcriptome analysis of scorpion venoms of Tityus obscurus, Opisthacanthus cayaporum, and Hadrurus gertschi were assayed for their cytotoxic and antiretroviral activity. The Tityus obscurus scorpion-derived synthetic peptide (FFGTLFKLGSKLIPGVMKLFSKKKER), in concentrations ranging from 6.24 to 0.39 μM, proved to be the most active one against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication in the HUT-78 cell line and in primary human leukocytes, with the lowest toxicity for these cells. The immune cellular response evaluated in primary human leukocytes treated with the most promising peptide and challenged with SIV infection exhibited production of cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and interferon-γ, which could be involved in cell defense mechanisms to overcome viral infection through proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory pathways, similar to those evoked for triggering the mechanisms exerted by antiviral restriction factors.
['da Mata|Elida C G|ECG|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5254-0151', 'Ombredane|Alicia|A|', 'Joanitti|Graziella A|GA|', 'Kanzaki|L I B|LIB|', 'Schwartz|Elisabeth F|EF|']
D000818:Animals D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents D002460:Cell Line D002470:Cell Survival D016207:Cytokines D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions D006801:Humans D018836:Inflammation Mediators D007962:Leukocytes D010455:Peptides D012604:Scorpion Venoms D012605:Scorpions D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus D059467:Transcriptome D014779:Virus Replication
cytotoxicity Tityus obscurus synthetic peptides antiretroviral activity SIV cytokines retrovirus