Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of Crotalus durissus terrificus crude venom

Resumo

Snake venoms are recognized as a promising source of pharmacologically active substances and are potentially useful for the development of new antimicrobial drugs. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial activity of the venom from the rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus against several bacteria. Antibacterial activity was determined by using the plate microdilution method and the activity on the bacterial envelope structure was screened by using the crystal violet assay. The proteins in crude venom were separated by electrophoresis and characterized regarding their proteolytic activity. C. d. terrificus venom exhibited antimicrobial action against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. MIC values were defined for Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 (62.5 μg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (125 μg/mL), and Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341 (≤500 μg/mL). For Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium ATCC 14028 and Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032, the decrease in bacterial growth was not detected visually, but was statistically significant. The crystal violet assay demonstrated that the crude venom increased bacterial cell permeability and the secreted protein profile agreed with previous reports. The results suggest that the proteins with lytic activity against bacteria in C. d. terrificus venom deserve further characterization as they may offer reinforcements to the weak therapeutic arsenal used to fight microbial multidrug resistance.

Descrição

Palavras-chave

Rattlesnake venom, Antimicrobial action, Cellular envelope, Proteolytic activity, Veneno de cascavel, Ação antimicrobiana, Envelope celular, Atividade proteolítica

Citação

DIETZ, Jefferson do Carmo; ALMEIDA, Daniela Andrade de; CINTRA, Lorena Cardoso; OLIVEIRA, Bruno Francesco Rodrigues de; MAGALHÃES, Marta Regina; JESUÍNO,Rosália Santos Amorim. Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of Crotalus durissus terrificus crude venom. Ciência Animal Brasileira, Goiânia, v. 19, e-51322, 2018. Disponível em: https://revistas.ufg.br/vet/article/view/e-51322. Acesso em: 6 out. 2022.