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eCAM Advance Access published online on September 2, 2008
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nen052
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© 2008 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Comparative Analysis of Viperidae Venoms Antibacterial Profile: a Short Communication for Proteomics

Bruno L. Ferreira1,2, Dilvani O. Santos1,2, André Luis dos Santos1,2, Carlos R. Rodrigues2,3, Cícero C. de Freitas1, Lúcio M. Cabral3 and Helena C. Castro1,2

1Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Laboratório de Antibióticos, Bioquímica e Modelagem Molecular (LABioMol), IB, 2Cursos de Pós-graduação em Neuroimunologia - IB, e Patologia - HUAP, Universidade Federal Fluminense, CEP 24001-970, Niterói, RJ and 3Laboratório de Modelagem Molecular e QSAR (ModMolQSAR), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

Bacterial infections involving multidrug-resistant strains are one of the ten leading causes of death and an important health problem in need for new antibacterial sources and agents. Herein, we tested and compared four snake venoms (Agkistrodon rhodostoma, Bothrops jararaca, B. atrox and Lachesis muta) against 10 Gram-positive and Gram-negative drug-resistant clinical bacteria strains to identify them as new sources of potential antibacterial molecules. Our data revealed that, as efficient as some antibiotics currently on the market [minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 1–32 µg ml–1], A. rhodostoma and B. atrox venoms were active against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus faecalis (MIC = 4.5 µg ml–1), while B. jararaca inhibited S. aureus growth (MIC = 13 µg ml–1). As genomic and proteomic technologies are improving and developing rapidly, our results suggested that A. rhodostoma, B. atrox and B. jararaca venoms and glands are feasible sources for searching antimicrobial prototypes for future design new antibiotics against drug-resistant clinical bacteria. They also point to an additional perspective to fully identify the pharmacological potential of these venoms by using different techniques.

Keywords: Agkistrodon – antibiotic – bacteria – Bothrops – Lachesis – snake

For reprints and all correspondence: Helena Carla Castro, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Laboratório de Antibióticos, Bioquímica e Modelagem Molecular (LABioMol), Instituto de Biologia, CEG, Universidade Federal Fluminense, CEP 24001–970, Niterói, RJ, Brazil. Tel: +55-021-26292294; Fax: +55-021-26292284; E-mail: hcastrorangel{at}vm.uff.br

Received May 2, 2007; accepted July 16, 2008


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