Identification of natural peptides as a new class of antimalarial drugs by i in silico i approaches

Abstract

Malaria is one of the most widespread and serious parasitic diseases worldwide. Currently available antimalarial drugs have side effects, and many strains of have developed resistance to such drugs. The present review examines the use of annexins and of natural peptides from snake venom as a new class of anti-malarial agents, with the key property of reducing inflammation. Severe cases of malaria manifest elevated serum levels of liver enzymes, inflammation, fibrin deposition, apoptosis, and reduction in peripheral CD8 T cells. The annexin-A1/5 proteins trigger inflammation via increased expression of diverse cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-10), however, by shielding microbial phospholipids they prevent injury via damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Here, we also review an -based bioengineering approach that may allow for a better design, synthesis and characterization of novel peptides from snake venom as a more effective approach to treatment due to their improved antimalarial activity.

In Vitro and In Vivo Antimalarial Activity of LZ1, a Peptide Derived from Snake Cathelicidin

“…Animal venoms are an invaluable natural resource of pharmacological tools that possess a large number of peptide toxins. Hundreds of peptide toxins from snake [26], scorpions [27], spiders [28], insects [29], and marine organisms [30] have been isolated or cloned, most of which exhibit anti-bacterial, anti-fungi, and anti-viral activities. Recently, a range of AMP toxins are emerging as new antimalarials, which show activities against malarial parasites in blood or mosquito stages.…”

Composição proteica e caracterização funcional da secreção cutânea de Dendropsophus columbianus (Boettger, 1892)

“…As anexinas formam uma grande família de proteínas de ligação ao cálcio que se associam aos fosfolípidos da membrana celular e estão envolvidas em vários processos celulares incluindo endocitose, exocitose e a organização da membrana citoesquelética (Meadows & Cleaver, 2015). ANXA1 humana é de todas a mais caracterizada, através das suas propriedades de ligação a fosfolipídeos por meio do cálcio, pode estar envolvida em processos patofisiológicos tais como anti-inflamatório, bactericida, antitumoral, inibição da proliferação celular, regulação da migração celular, diferenciação e morte celular (Hayes, Shao, Bailly, & Moss, 2006;Samy et al, 2017). Em comparação, a função da ANXA3 é pouco estudada.…”