The Potassium Channel Blocker β-Bungarotoxin from the Krait Venom Manifests Antiprotozoal Activity.

Protozoal infections are a world-wide problem. The toxicity and somewhat low effectiveness of the existing drugs require the search for new ways of protozoa suppression. Snake venom contains structurally diverse components manifesting antiprotozoal activity; for example, those in cobra venom are cytotoxins.

New Plant Species Showing Antiprotozoian Activity.

The effects of extracts of ten plant species from Russia and five species from Vietnam on the growth and survival of ciliates Tetrahymena pyriformis were studied. T. pyriformis belongs to the subkingdom Protozoa, which also includes pathogens of protozoan infections.

Comparative Study of the Effect of Snake Venoms on the Growth of Ciliates Tetrahymena pyriformis: Identification of Venoms with High Antiprotozoal Activity.

To search for compounds with antiprotozoal activity, effects of snake venoms on the ciliates Tetrahymena pyriformis was studied. T. pyriformis from subkingdom of Protozoa, including the protozoal pathogens, was used as a model organism to select the venoms that are the most active against parasitic protozoans.

Assessment of the Cytotoxicity of Peptide Modifications of Doxorubicin on Tetrahymena pyriformis.

The cytotoxicity of doxorubicin (Dox) and its peptide modifications Z-Gly-Pro-Dox and Boc-Gly-Pro-Dox were studied. Tetrahymena pyriformis was used as a test system, which made it possible, due to the short life cycle and high reproduction rate of ciliates, to trace their response to the effects of toxicants over several generations. It was found that peptide modification of the Dox molecule markedly reduces its cytotoxic and cytostatic effect.

Screening Snake Venoms for Toxicity to Revealed Anti-Protozoan Activity of Cobra Cytotoxins.

Snake venoms possess lethal activities against different organisms, ranging from bacteria to higher vertebrates. Several venoms were shown to be active against protozoa, however, data about the anti-protozoan activity of cobra and viper venoms are very scarce. We tested the effects of venoms from several snake species on the ciliate .