Structural Characterization and Rat Aortic Vascular Reactivity of Bradykinin-Potentiating Peptides (BPPs) from the Snake Venom of from Delta do Parnaíba Region, Brazil.

Snake venoms contain various bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs). First studied for their vasorelaxant properties due to angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition, these molecules present a range of binding partners, among them the argininosuccinate synthase (AsS) enzyme. This has renewed interest in their characterization from biological sources and the evaluation of their pharmacological activities.

Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Effects of the First Tryptophyllin Found in Snake Venom ().

In this study, we report the isolation, characterization, and synthesis of the peptide BmT-2 belonging to the tryptophyllins family, isolated from the venom of the snake . This is the first time a tryptophyllin is identified in snake venom. We tested whether BmT-2 had cytotoxic effects and antioxidant activity in a set of experiments that included both in vitro and cell-based assays.

The peptide secreted at the water to land transition in a model amphibian has antioxidant effects.

In addition to the morphophysiological changes experienced by amphibians during metamorphosis, they must also deal with a different set of environmental constraints when they shift from the water to the land. We found that secretes a single peptide ([M + H]+ = 658.38 Da) at the developmental stage that precedes the onset of terrestrial behaviour.

Mechanistic Insights into the Leishmanicidal and Bactericidal Activities of Batroxicidin, a Cathelicidin-Related Peptide from a South American Viper ().

Snake venoms are important sources of bioactive molecules, including those with antiparasitic activity. Cathelicidins form a class of such molecules, which are produced by a variety of organisms. Batroxicidin (BatxC) is a cathelicidin found in the venom of the common lancehead ().

Synergistic and antibiofilm properties of ocellatin peptides against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Aim: To test ocellatin peptides (ocellatins-PT2-PT6) for antibacterial and antibiofilm activities and synergy with antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Materials & Methods: Normal- and checkerboard-broth microdilution methods were used. Biofilm studies included microtiter plate-based assays and microscopic analysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy and atomic force microscopy.

Angiogenesis in Schistosoma haematobium-associated urinary bladder cancer.

Schistosoma haematobium, a parasitic flatworm that infects more than 100 million people, mostly in the developing world, is the causative agent of urogenital schistosomiasis, and is associated with a high incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the bladder. During infection, eggs are deposited in the bladder causing an intense inflammatory reaction. Angiogenesis is defined as the formation of new blood vessels from preexisting ones and is recognized as a key event in cell proliferation and carcinogenesis and spread of malignant lesions.