Background:
Mammary gland tumors are the most prevalent neoplasm in intact female dogs,
and they are good natural models to study comparative oncology. Most canine
mammary malignancies, as in women, are commonly refractory to conventional
therapies and demand continuous new therapeutic approaches.
Crotalus
durissus terrificus
, also called rattlesnake, has more than 60
different proteins in its venom with multiple pharmaceutical uses, such as
antitumor, antiviral, and antimicrobial action. Crotoxin, a potent
β-neurotoxin formed by the junction of two subunits, a basic subunit
(CB-PLA
2
) and an acidic subunit (crotapotin), has already
been reported to have anticancer properties in different types of cancers.
Methods:
In this work, we describe the cytotoxic potential of crotoxin and its
subunits compared to doxorubicin (drug of choice) in two canine mammary
carcinoma cell lines.
Results:
Crotoxin, CB-PLA
2
, crotalic venom, and doxorubicin decreased cell
viability and the ability to migrate in a dose-dependent manner, and
crotapotin did not present an antitumoral effect. For all compounds, the
predominant cell death mechanism was apoptosis. In addition, crotoxin did
not show toxicity in normal canine mammary gland cells.
Conclusion:
Therefore, this work showed that crotoxin and CB-PLA
2
had
cytotoxic activity, migration inhibition, and pro-apoptotic potential in
canine mammary gland carcinoma cell lines, making their possible use in
cancer research.