Nontoxic fraction of scorpion venom reduces bacterial growth and inflammatory response in a mouse model of infection

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the antimicrobial activity of Androctonus australis hector (Aah) scorpion venom and its nontoxic fraction. Obtained results show that venom inhibits the proliferation of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria via membrane disruption. The nontoxic fraction is able to reduce bacterial growth, lung damage, and inflammatory profile in a murine model of infection. Proteomic analysis reveals that the antibacterial molecule is a sodium channel inhibitor only automatically annotated by gene model, under the name of G-TI. Herein, is a strict proof existence and a first proteomic characterization of G-TI as an antimicrobial peptide with an anti-inflammatory effect.

Keywords:

• Scorpion venom
• antibacterial peptide
• anti-inflammatory
• sodium channel

Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to Professor Naim M. from the Department of Microbiology of the Military Hospital of Algiers (Algeria) and Professor Nateche F. from Microbiology Laboratory of USTHB (Algeria) for providing of all bacteria and fungi strains.

Disclosure statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.