Leucurogin and melanoma therapy.

Abstract

Leucurogin is an ECD disintegrin-like protein, cloned from Bothrops leucurus venom gland. This new protein, encompassing the disintegrin region of a PIII metalloproteinase, is produced by recombinant technology and its biological and functional activity was partially characterized in this study. Biological activity was characterized in vitro using human fibroblasts. Functional activity of leucurogin was analysed in vitro and in vivo with murine B16F10 Nex-2 and human melanoma BLM cells. The results show that leucurogin inhibits cellular processes dependent on collagen type I. In a competition assay with collagen, leucurogin inhibits, in a dose-dependent manner, the adhesion of fibroblast to collagen. At 10 μM leucurogin reduces adhesion (40%) and migration (70%) of hFb and inhibits migration (32%) and proliferation (65%) of BLM cells. At 2.5 μM leucurogin inhibits 80% cell proliferation of B16F10 Nex-2 melanoma cells. At 4.8 μM leucurogin inhibits, in vitro, the vascular structures formation by endothelial cells by 66%. Leucurogin, injected intraperitoneally, i.p. (5 μg/animal, two-month old C57/Bl6 male mice) on alternate days for 15 days, inhibits lung metastasis of B16F10 Nex-2 cells by 70-75%. In the treatment of human melanoma, grafted intradermally in the nude mice flank, leucurogin (7.5 μg/kg in alternate days during 17 days) inhibits tumor growth by more than 40%. Leucurogin can be considered a promising agent for melanoma treatment.

• Authors: Meire C Almeida, Ivan C Santos, Thaysa Paschoalin, Luiz R Travassos, Cornelia Mauch, Paola Zigrino, João B Pesquero, Jorge L Pesquero, Debora A Higuchi
• Journal: Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology (Toxicon) Vol. 159 Pg. 22-31 (Mar 01 2019) ISSN: 1879-3150 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 30611825 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Crotalid Venoms
• Disintegrins
• Recombinant Proteins
• Metalloproteases

Topics

• Animals
• Bothrops (metabolism)
• Cell Adhesion (drug effects)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Movement (drug effects)
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Crotalid Venoms (chemistry)
• Disintegrins (chemistry, isolation & purification, therapeutic use)
• Fibroblasts
• Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
• Humans
• Lung Neoplasms (drug therapy, secondary)
• Male
• Melanoma (drug therapy, pathology)
• Metalloproteases (chemistry, isolation & purification)
• Mice
• Recombinant Proteins (chemistry, therapeutic use)