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Pharmaceuticals
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Pharmaceutical Functions of Natural Compounds Derived from Molluscs and Arthropods
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Pharmaceutical Functions of Natural Compounds Derived from Molluscs and Arthropods

A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 5163

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Pavlina Dolashka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, str. G. Bonchev 9, Bulgaria
Interests: biochemistry; polysaccharide; glycoproteins; nanoparticle; biomedicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Molluscs and arthropods are a promising source of bioactive compounds that contribute to favorable adaptations for survival in different environments. Therefore, they are the subject of scientific research with the aim of discovering new antitumor, antimicrobial, and antiviral compounds.

A study of the antitumor properties of active components obtained from hemolymph and mucus demonstrates an antiproliferative effect on cancer cell lines. Compounds in the hemolymph with anticancer activities are hemocyanins, oligomeric oxygen-carrying glycometalloproteins widely used in immunological and clinical applications. These biomacromolecules bind small molecule chemicals, such as drugs, hormones, peptides, polysaccharides, lipids, and oligonucleotides, which, in their pure state, do not elicit a response from the immune system.

Hemocyanins present promising antiviral effects against a number of viruses. The carbohydrate structures and antiviral properties of hemocyanins have been established in the rsearch.

In addition, peptides and glycoproteins with antimicrobial activities against various bacterial strains have been discovered in the hemolymph and mucus of molluscs. They also have a positive effect on neurodegenerative diseases. Due to their broad spectrum of actions, natural antimicrobial peptides are a model for the discovery of new antimicrobial drugs to solve the problem of multidrug resistance in pathogenic microorganisms. Some of the identified biologically active molecules have been developed into pharmaceutical products.

Prof. Dr. Pavlina Dolashka
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • glycoproteins
  • antimicrobial peptides
  • nanoparticles
  • therapeutics
  •  mass spectrometry
  • nanodrugs

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2777 KiB  
Article
Antibacterial Action of Protein Fraction Isolated from Rapana venosa Hemolymph against Escherichia coli NBIMCC 8785
by Mihaela Kirilova, Yana Topalova, Lyudmila Velkova, Aleksandar Dolashki, Dimitar Kaynarov, Elmira Daskalova and Nellie Zheleva
Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(1), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17010068 - 3 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1378
Abstract
Natural products and especially those from marine organisms are being intensively explored as an alternative to synthetic antibiotics. However, the exact mechanisms of their action are not yet well understood. The molecular masses of components in the hemolymph fraction with MW 50–100 kDa [...] Read more.
Natural products and especially those from marine organisms are being intensively explored as an alternative to synthetic antibiotics. However, the exact mechanisms of their action are not yet well understood. The molecular masses of components in the hemolymph fraction with MW 50–100 kDa from Rapana venosa were determined using ImageQuant™ TL v8.2.0 software based on electrophoretic analysis. Mainly, three types of compounds with antibacterial potential were identified, namely proteins with MW at 50.230 kDa, 62.100 kDa and 93.088 kDa that were homologous to peroxidase-like protein, aplicyanin A and L-amino acid oxidase and functional units with MW 50 kDa from R. venous hemocyanin. Data for their antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli NBIMCC 8785 were obtained by CTC/DAPI-based fluorescent analysis (analysis based on the use of a functional fluorescence probe). The fluorescent analyses demonstrated that a 50% concentration of the fraction with MW 50–100 kDa was able to eliminate 99% of the live bacteria. The antimicrobial effect was detectable even at a 1% concentration of the active compounds. The bacteria in this case had reduced metabolic activity and a 24% decreased size. The fraction had superior action compared with another mollusc product—snail slime—which killed 60% of the E. coli NBIMCC 8785 cells at a 50% concentration and had no effect at a 1% concentration. The obtained results demonstrate the high potential of the fraction with MW 50–100 kDa from R. venosa to eliminate and suppress the development of Escherichia coli NBIMCC 8785 bacteria and could be applied as an appropriate component of therapeutics with the potential to replace antibiotics to avoid the development of antibiotic resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmaceutical Functions of Natural Compounds Derived from Molluscs and Arthropods)
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13 pages, 7188 KiB  
Article
Protective Effect of Peptide Calcium Channel Blocker Omega-Hexatoxin-Hv1a on Epithelial Cell during Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury
by Elena Iurova, Eugenia Rastorgueva, Evgenii Beloborodov, Evgeniya Pogodina, Aleksandr Fomin, Dmitrii Sugak, Denis Viktorov, Ivan Tumozov and Yury Saenko
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(9), 1314; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16091314 - 18 Sep 2023
Viewed by 968
Abstract
Ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common phenomenon that develops both from natural causes and during major operations. Many intracellular processes mediated by calcium ions are involved in the development of IRI. Currently, chemical calcium channel blockers are used but they have a number [...] Read more.
Ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common phenomenon that develops both from natural causes and during major operations. Many intracellular processes mediated by calcium ions are involved in the development of IRI. Currently, chemical calcium channel blockers are used but they have a number of limitations. In this article, we study the effect of the omega-hexatoxin-Hv1a peptide toxin, an alternative to chemical calcium channel blockers, on the mechanisms of IRI development in epithelial cell culture. The toxin was produced using solid phase peptide synthesis. IRI was caused by deprivation of glucose, serum and oxygen. The data obtained demonstrate that the omega-hexatoxin-Hv1a toxin in nanomolar concentrations is able to prevent the development of apoptosis and necrosis in epithelial cells by reducing the concentration of calcium, sodium and potassium ions, as well as by delaying rapid normalization of the pH level, affecting the mitochondrial potential and oxidative stress. This toxin can be used as an alternative to chemical calcium channel blockers for preventing tissue and organ IRI due to its low-dose requirement and high bioavailability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmaceutical Functions of Natural Compounds Derived from Molluscs and Arthropods)
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20 pages, 4295 KiB  
Article
Antitumor Activity of Bioactive Compounds from Rapana venosa against Human Breast Cell Lines
by Maria Petrova, Zlatina Vlahova, Maria Schröder, Jordana Todorova, Alexander Tzintzarov, Anastas Gospodinov, Lyudmila Velkova, Dimitar Kaynarov, Aleksandar Dolashki, Pavlina Dolashka and Iva Ugrinova
Pharmaceuticals 2023, 16(2), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph16020181 - 24 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2136
Abstract
This study is the first report describing the promising antitumor activity of biologically active compounds isolated from the hemolymph of marine snail Rapana venosa—a fraction with Mw between 50 and 100 kDa and two structural subunits (RvH1 and RvH2), tested on a [...] Read more.
This study is the first report describing the promising antitumor activity of biologically active compounds isolated from the hemolymph of marine snail Rapana venosa—a fraction with Mw between 50 and 100 kDa and two structural subunits (RvH1 and RvH2), tested on a panel of human breast cell lines—six lines of different molecular subtypes of breast cancer MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, BT-474, BT-549, SK-BR-3, and MCF-7 and the non-cancerous MCF-10A. The fraction with Mw 50–100 kDa (HRv 50–100) showed good antitumor activity manifested by a significant decrease in cell viability, altered morphology, autophagy, and p53 activation in treated cancer cells. An apparent synergistic effect was observed for the combination of HRv 50–100 with cis-platin for all tested cell lines. The combination of HRv 50–100 with cisplatin and/or tamoxifen is three times more effective compared to treatment with classical chemotherapeutics alone. The main proteins in the active fraction, with Mw at ~50 kDa, ~65 kDa, ~100 kDa, were identified by MALDI-MS, MS/MS analyses, and bioinformatics. Homology was established with known proteins with antitumor potential detected in different mollusc species: peroxidase-like protein, glycoproteins Aplysianin A, L-amino acid oxidase (LAAO), and the functional unit with Mw 50 kDa of RvH. Our study reveals new perspectives for application of HRv 50–100 as an antitumor agent used alone or as a booster in combination with different chemotherapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmaceutical Functions of Natural Compounds Derived from Molluscs and Arthropods)
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