Melittin induces in vitro death of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum by triggering the cellular innate immune response

Journal of venomous animals and toxins

Erika Gracielle Pinto¹  Lucilene Delazari dos Santos¹  Sueli Calvi⁴  Andre Gustavo Tempone⁵  Andreia Vieira Pereira⁵  Daniel Carvalho Pimenta⁶  Benedito Barraviera⁷  Gustavo de Barros⁸  Ricardo de Oliveira Orsi⁸  Rui Seabra Ferreira⁹ 

[1] Univ Estadual Paulista), Botucatu, Brazil;Center for the Study of Venoms and Venomous Animals (CEVAP), SãDepartment of Animal Production, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry, SãDepartment of Parasitology, Adolfo Lutz Institute, SãGraduate Program in Tropical Diseases, Botucatu Medical School, SãLaboratory of Protozoology, Institute for Tropical Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo State University (UNESP –o Paulo, Brazil

关键词: Melittin;    Apis mellifera;    Leishmania;    Leishmaniasis;    Peptides;    Toxins;    Antiparasitic;    Cytokines;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40409-016-0055-x

学科分类：药理学

来源: BioMed Central

【 摘 要 】

Apis mellifera venom, which has already been recommended as an alternative anti-inflammatory treatment, may be also considered an important source of candidate molecules for biotechnological and biomedical uses, such as the treatment of parasitic diseases. Africanized honeybee venom from Apis mellifera was fractionated by RP-C18-HPLC and the obtained melittin was incubated with promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania (L.) infantum. Cytotoxicity to mice peritoneal macrophages was evaluated through mitochondrial oxidative activity. The production of anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines, NO and H2O2 by macrophages was determined. Promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes were susceptible to melittin (IC50 28.3 μg.mL−1 and 1.4 μg.mL−1, respectively), but also showed mammalian cell cytotoxicity with an IC50 value of 5.7 μg.mL−1. Uninfected macrophages treated with melittin increased the production of IL-10, TNF-α, NO and H2O2. Infected melittin-treated macrophages increased IL-12 production, but decreased the levels of IL-10, TNF-α, NO and H2O2. The results showed that melittin acts in vitro against promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania (L.) infantum. Furthermore, they can act indirectly on intracellular amastigotes through a macrophage immunomodulatory effect.

【 授权许可】

CC BY