Smp76, a Scorpine-Like Peptide Isolated from the Venom of the Scorpion Scorpio maurus palmatus, with a Potent Antiviral Activity Against Hepatitis C Virus and Dengue Virus

Abstract

Growing global viral infections have been a serious public health problem in recent years. This current situation emphasizes the importance of developing more therapeutic antiviral compounds. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and dengue virus (DENV) belong to the Flaviviridae family and are an increasing global health threat. Our previous study reported that the crude venom of Scorpio maurus palmatus possessed anti-HCV and anti-DENV activities in vitro. We report here the characterization of a natural antiviral peptide (scorpion-like peptide Smp76) that prevents HCV and DENV infection. Smp76 was purified from S. m. palmatus venom and contains 76 amino acids with six residues of cysteine. Smp76 antiviral activity was evaluated using a cell culture technique utilizing Huh7it-1, Vero/SLAM, HCV (JFH1, genotype 2a) and DENV (Trinidad 1751, type 2). A potential antiviral activity of Smp76 was detected in culture cells with an approximate IC 50 of 0.01 μg/ml. Moreover, Smp76 prevents HCV infection and suppresses secondary infection, by inactivating extra-cellular infectious particles without affecting viral replication. Interestingly, Smp76 is neither toxic nor hemolytic in vitro at a concentration 1000-fold higher than that required for antiviral activity. Conclusively, this report highlights novel anti-HCV and anti-DENV activities of Smp76, which may lay the foundation for developing a new therapeutic intervention against these flaviviruses.

Cytotoxic Effects of Smp24 and Smp43 Scorpion Venom Antimicrobial Peptides on Tumour and Non-tumour Cell Lines

“…Scorpion venoms are cocktails of diverse biologically active compounds (see, inter alia, Rodriguez de la Vega and Possani, 2005;Rodriguez de la Vega et al 2010;Cao et al 2014;Abdel-Rahman et al 2015;Cid-Uribe et al 2018;Kazemi and Sabatier, 2019) and provide a rich source of AMPs (for reviews see Harrison et al 2014;Wang and Wang, 2016;El-Bitar et al 2019). Abdel-Rahman et al (2013) identified two novel amphipathic cationic AMPs (Smp43 and Smp24) through cDNA sequencing of the venom gland of the Egyptian scorpion Scorpio maurus palmatus.…”

Scorpion-Derived Antiviral Peptides with a Special Focus on Medically Important Viruses: An Update

“…BmKDfsin3 is a scorpion defensing peptide developed from M. martenssi Karsch. It consists of 38 amino acid residues, with six cysteine residues forming three pairs of disulfide bonds[24]. The IC 50 is around 3.35 μM.…”

Antinociceptive, antiinflammatory, and antipyretic effects induced by the venom of Egyptian scorpion Androctonus amoreuxi

“…The peptides of scorpion venom exhibit various biological and pharmacological activities (Abdel-Rahman et al, 2015;Cheng et al, 2020;El-Bitar et al, 2019;Elrayess et al, 2019;Harrison et al, 2014;Zeng, Gerardo Corzo, & Hahin, 2005). Peptides are the most abundant structures of scorpion venom and responsible for the neurotoxic as well as cytotoxic effects associated with scorpion sting (Jungo & Bairoch, 2005).…”

“…Currently, the animal venoms (such as snake, marine conus, frog, spider, and scorpion toxins) are considered as one of the main sources for the discovery of these compounds (with high selectivity and therapeutic index; Rajendra, Armugam, & Jeyaseelan, 2004;Altawil, Abdel-Rahman, El-Naggar, El-Khayat, & Abdel-Daim, 2015;Safavi-Hemami, Brogan, & Olivera, 2019). Scorpion venom is a rich source of several biologically active molecules (Abdel-Rahman, Harrison, & Strong, 2015;Harrison, Abdel-Rahman, Strong, Tawfik, & Miller, 2016) with various pharmacological properties including antitumor (Elrayess et al, 2019;Ghosh, Roy, Nandi, & Mukhopadhyay, 2019;Mamelak, 2011), analgesic (Chen & Ji, 2002;Shao et al, 2007), antiepileptic (Wang et al, 2001;Yu, Zhang, Wang, & Liu, 1992), and antimicrobial (El-Bitar et al, 2019;Harrison, Abdel-Rahman, Miller, & Strong, 2014;Harrison et al, 2016) activities. The whole body of Chinese scorpion Buthus martensi Karsch (BmK) or its venom has been found to be effective in treating certain neurological disorders (such as hemiplegia, facial paralysis, apoplexy, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy), nerve soothing, and as pain killers (especially pains induced by rheumatism and meningitis; Liu et al, 2003).…”