BmajPLA₂-II, a basic Lys49-phospholipase A₂ homologue from Bothrops marajoensis snake venom with parasiticidal...

Snake venoms contain various proteins, especially phospholipases A₂ (PLA₂s), which present potential applications in diverse areas of health and medicine. In this study, a new basic PLA₂ from Bothrops marajoensis with parasiticidal activity was purified and characterized biochemically and biologically. B. marajoensis venom was fractionated through cation exchange followed by reverse phase chromatographies. The isolated toxin, BmajPLA₂-II, was structurally characterized with MALDI-TOF (Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight) mass spectrometry, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), followed by two-dimensional electrophoresis, partial amino acid sequencing, an enzymatic activity assay, circular dichroism, and dynamic light scattering assays. These structural characterization tests presented BmajPLA₂-II as a basic Lys49 PLA₂ homologue, compatible with other basic snake venom PLA₂s (svPLA₂), with a tendency to form aggregations. The in vitro anti-parasitic potential of B. marajoensis venom and of BmajPLA₂-II was evaluated against Leishmania infantum promastigotes and Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes, showing significant activity at a concentration of 100μg/mL. The venom and BmajPLA₂-II presented IC₅₀ of 0.14±0.08 and 6.41±0.64μg/mL, respectively, against intraerythrocytic forms of Plasmodium falciparum with CC₅₀ cytotoxicity values against HepG2 cells of 43.64±7.94 and >150μg/mL, respectively. The biotechnological potential of these substances in relation to leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and malaria should be more deeply investigated.