Toxins 2015, 7(12), 5114-5128; doi:10.3390/toxins7124869
Biological and Enzymatic Characterization of Proteases from Crude Venom of the Ant Odontomachus bauri
1
Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory of Immunoparasitology “Dr. Mario Endsfeldz Camargo”, Federal University of Uberlândia, Av. Pará 1720, Uberlândia 38400-902, Brazil
2
Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Federal University of Uberlândia, Av. Pará 1720, Uberlândia 38400-902, Brazil
3
Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory of Biophysics, Federal University of Uberlândia, Av. Pará 1720, Uberlândia 38400-902, Brazil
4
National Institute in Science and Technology in Nanobiopharmaceutics (NanoBiofar), Belo Horizonte-MG 31270-901, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Glenn F. King
Received: 14 August 2015 / Revised: 30 September 2015 / Accepted: 9 October 2015 / Published: 30 November 2015
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod Venoms)
Abstract
Hymenoptera venoms constitute an interesting source of natural toxins that may lead to the development of novel therapeutic agents. The present study investigated the enzymatic and biological characteristics of the crude venom of the ant Odontomachus bauri. Its crude venom presents several protein bands, with higher staining for six proteins with gelatinolytic activity (17, 20, 26, 29, 43 and 48 kDa). The crude venom showed high proteolytic activity on azocasein at optimal pH 8.0 and 37 °C. In the presence of protease inhibitors as aprotinin, leupeptin and EDTA, the azocaseinolytic activity was reduced by 45%, 29% and 9%, respectively, suggesting that the enzymes present in the crude venom belong to the three classes of proteases, with the serine proteases in greater intensity. The crude venom degraded the fibrinogen α-chain faster than the β-chain, while the fibrinogen γ-chain remained unchanged. In biological assays, O. bauri venom showed hemolytic and coagulant activity in vitro, and defibrinating activity in vivo. In addition, the venom showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli as well as antiparasitic activity on Toxoplasma gondii infection in vitro. In that sense, this study sheds perspectives for pharmacological applications of O. bauri venom enzymes. View Full-TextKeywords:
Odontomachus bauri; crude venom; proteases; Toxoplasma gondii
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MDPI and ACS Style
Silva, M.F.; Mota, C.M.; Miranda, V.S.; Oliveira Cunha, A.D.; Silva, M.C.; Naves, K.S.C.; Oliveira, F.D.; Silva, D.A.O.; Mineo, T.W.P.; Santiago, F.M. Biological and Enzymatic Characterization of Proteases from Crude Venom of the Ant Odontomachus bauri. Toxins 2015, 7, 5114-5128.
