Antiparasitic effect of Dinoponera quadriceps giant ant venom

Lima, Dânya Bandeira; Sousa, Paloma Leão; Torres, Alba; Rodrigues, Klinger Antônio da França; Mello, Clarissa Perdigão; Menezes, Ramon Róseo Paula Pessoa Bezerra de; Tessarolo, Louise Donadello; Quinet, Yves; Oliveira, Márcia Rosa de; Martins, Alice Maria Costa

doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.08.008

Cited by 41 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Arthropod venoms are a rich, essentially untapped source for bioactive molecules. Among venomous insects, ants are remarkably chemically diverse 42 , as illustrated by a recent increase in the number of studies surveying the biomedical applications of ant toxins, such as the Brazilian giant ant Dinoponera quadriceps 43 . Among several other biomedical activities, the venom peptides of D. quadriceps were reported to be toxic to T. cruzi 44 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Venom alkaloids against Chagas disease parasite: search for effective therapies

Silva

Fox

Gomes

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Chagas disease is an important disease affecting millions of patients in the New World and is caused by a protozoan transmitted by haematophagous kissing bugs. It can be treated with drugs during the early acute phase; however, effective therapy against the chronic form of Chagas disease has yet to be discovered and developed. We herein tested the activity of solenopsin alkaloids extracted from two species of fire ants against the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiologic agent of Chagas disease. Although IC 50 determinations showed that solenopsins are more toxic to the parasite than benznidazole, the drug of choice for Chagas disease treatment, the ant alkaloids presented a lower selectivity index. As a result of exposure to the alkaloids, the parasites became swollen and rounded in shape, with hypertrophied contractile vacuoles and intense cytoplasmic vacuolization, possibly resulting in osmotic stress; no accumulation of multiple kinetoplasts and/or nuclei was detected. Overexpressing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-an enzyme essential for osmoregulation that is a known target of solenopsins in mammalian cells-did not prevent swelling and vacuolization, nor did it counteract the toxic effects of alkaloids on the parasites. Additional experimental results suggested that solenopsins induced a type of autophagic and programmed cell death in T. cruzi. Solenopsins also reduced the intracellular proliferation of T. cruzi amastigotes in infected macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner and demonstrated activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense bloodstream forms, which is another important aetiological kinetoplastid parasite. The results suggest the potential of solenopsins as novel natural drugs against neglected parasitic diseases caused by kinetoplastids. Alkaloids are organic compounds containing a nitrogen atom usually associated with the cyclic chain within its structure 1. They are a large, diverse group of chemicals, in which some compounds are known as poisons (e.g., strychnine), stimulants (e.g., caffeine), and analgesics (e.g., morphine) 2. Alkaloids are mostly found in plants but have also been identified from a number of animals, such as frogs and ants 1. Recently, several studies have evaluated the potential of antimicrobial alkaloids as prospective new drugs against diseases caused by bacteria 3

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Venom alkaloids against Chagas disease parasite: search for effective therapies

Silva

Fox

Gomes

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Corroborating those data, Lima et al [ 67 ] reported the antimicrobial activity of the crude venom against methicillin-sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. The same researchers also reported the antiparasitic effects of the venom against Leishmania amazonensis and Trypanosoma cruzi [ 68 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anticonvulsant Effects of Fractions Isolated from Dinoponera quadriceps (Kempt) Ant Venom (Formicidae: Ponerinae)

Nôga

Brandão

Cagni

et al. 2016

Toxins

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Natural products, sources of new pharmacological substances, have large chemical diversity and architectural complexity. In this context, some toxins obtained from invertebrate venoms have anticonvulsant effects. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects about 65 million people worldwide, and approximately 30% of cases are resistant to pharmacological treatment. Previous studies from our group show that the denatured venom of the ant Dinoponera quadriceps (Kempt) protects mice against bicuculline (BIC)-induced seizures and death. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticonvulsant activity of compounds isolated from D. quadriceps venom against seizures induced by BIC in mice. Crude venom was fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) resulting in six fractions referred to as DqTx1–DqTx6. A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis revealed a major 431 Da compound in fractions DqTx1 and DqTx2. Fractions DqTx3 and DqTx4 showed a compound of 2451 Da and DqTx5 revealed a 2436 Da compound. Furthermore, the DqTx6 fraction exhibited a major component with a molecular weight of 13,196 Da. Each fraction (1 mg/mL) was microinjected into the lateral ventricle of mice, and the animals were observed in an open field. We did not observe behavioral alterations when the fractions were given alone. Conversely, when the fractions were microinjected 20 min prior to the administration of BIC (21.6 nM), DqTx1, DqTx4, and DqTx6 fractions increased the latency for onset of tonic-clonic seizures. Moreover, all fractions, except DqTx5, increased latency to death. The more relevant result was obtained with the DqTx6 fraction, which protected 62.5% of the animals against tonic-clonic seizures. Furthermore, this fraction protected 100% of the animals from seizure episodes followed by death. Taken together, these findings indicate that compounds from ant venom might be a potential source of new anticonvulsants molecules.

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“…After 48 h of incubation, the cells were washed to remove noninternalized parasites and treated with VIO (4·97 and 9·94 μmol l −1 ). The coverslips were collected in up to 24 and 48 h, washed with PBS, fixed in Bouin’s solution and stained with Giemsa (Lima et al ). Nontreated infected LLC‐MK2 cells were used as controls.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antichagasic effect of violacein from Chromobacterium violaceum

et al. 2019

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Aims: Violacein (VIO), a bacterial pigment produced by Chromobacterium violaceum, was examined to evaluate the antichagasic activity and its action mechanism against Trypanosoma cruzi Y strain. Methods and Results: Violacein was tested against the epimastigote, trypomastigote and amastigote forms of T. cruzi Y strain (benznidazoleresistant strain). VIO inhibited all T. cruzi developmental forms, including amastigotes, which is implicated in the burden of infection in the chronic phase of Chagas disease (CD). VIO induced cell death in T. cruzi through apoptosis, as determined by flow cytometry analyses with specific molecular probes and morphological alterations, such as involvement of reactive oxygen species and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and cell shrinkage. Conclusion: The results suggest antichagasic activity of VIO against T. cruzi Y strain with apoptotic involvement. Significance and Impact of the Study: The treatment of CD has limited efficacy and side effects that restrict patient tolerability and compliance. The VIO molecule could be used as a model for therapeutic alternatives for this disease.

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Antiparasitic effect of Dinoponera quadriceps giant ant venom

Cited by 41 publications

References 22 publications

Venom alkaloids against Chagas disease parasite: search for effective therapies

Venom alkaloids against Chagas disease parasite: search for effective therapies

Anticonvulsant Effects of Fractions Isolated from Dinoponera quadriceps (Kempt) Ant Venom (Formicidae: Ponerinae)

Antichagasic effect of violacein from Chromobacterium violaceum

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