Fraternine, a Novel Wasp Peptide, Protects against Motor Impairments in 6-OHDA Model of Parkinsonism

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects the Central Nervous System (CNS). Insect venoms show high molecular variability and selectivity in the CNS of mammals and present potential for the development of new drugs for the treatment of PD. In this study, we isolated and identified a component of the venom of the social wasp Parachartergus fraternus and evaluated its neuroprotective activity in the murine model of PD. For this purpose, the venom was filtered and separated through HPLC; fractions were analyzed through mass spectrometry and the active fraction was identified as a novel peptide, called Fraternine. We performed two behavioral tests to evaluate motor discoordination, as well as an apomorphine-induced rotation test. We also conducted an immunohistochemical assay to assess protection in TH+ neurons in the Substantia Nigra (SN) region. Group treated with 10 μg/animal of Fraternine remained longer in the rotarod compared to the lesioned group. In the apomorphine test, Fraternine decreased the number of rotations between treatments. This dose also inhibited dopaminergic neuronal loss, as indicated by immunohistochemical analysis. This study identified a novel peptide able to prevent the death of dopaminergic neurons of the SN and recover motor deficit in a 6-OHDA-induced murine model of PD.

Pharmacological effects and mechanisms of bee venom and its main components: Recent progress and perspective

“…Purified bvPLA 2 showed dose-dependent neuroprotective effects on PD in mice, relating to the induction of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells (Tregs), which to some extent suppressed the polarization of T helper 1 (Th1) and Th17, and the microglia activation ( Kim et al, 2019b ). Fraternine, a novel wasp peptide, also showed neuroprotective effects and ameliorated motor coordination in a 6-hydroxydopamine-induced PD mice model ( Biolchi et al, 2020 ).…”