Cath-DM-NT, a peptide derived from the skin of Duttaphrynus melanostictus, shows dual lectin-like and antioxidant activity

Weichen Xiong; Jianpeng Xie; Yan Liang; Jinwei Chai; Ruiyin Guo; Baishuang Zeng; Jiena Wu; Shian Lai; Haiyun Zhang; Xiaowen Huang; Xin Chen; Xueqing Xu

doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.175941

Cath-DM-NT, a peptide derived from the skin of Duttaphrynus melanostictus, shows dual lectin-like and antioxidant activity

Eur J Pharmacol. 2023 Oct 5:956:175941. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.175941. Epub 2023 Aug 1.

Authors

Weichen Xiong¹, Jianpeng Xie¹, Yan Liang², Jinwei Chai³, Ruiyin Guo³, Baishuang Zeng³, Jiena Wu³, Shian Lai⁴, Haiyun Zhang², Xiaowen Huang⁵, Xin Chen⁶, Xueqing Xu⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
² Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
³ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Molecular Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Japan.
⁵ Department of Dermatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
⁶ Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: hxkd006@smu.edu.cn.
⁷ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: xu2003@smu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37536626
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.175941

Abstract

Chansu, a mixture extracted from Duttaphrynus melanostictus or Bufo gargarizans Cantor, is a traditional Chinese medicine with a broad range of medical applications. However, the peptides/proteins in it have not received adequate attention. Herein, a Cathelicidin-DM-derived peptide named Cath-DM-NT was identified from the skin of D. melanostictus. Previous studies have shown that Cathelicidin-DM has significant antibacterial activity, while Cath-DM-NT has no antibacterial activity. In this study, Cath-DM-NT is found to have lectin-like activity which can agglutinate erythrocytes and bacteria, and bind to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, Cath-DM-NT has antioxidant activity, which can scavenge 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and nitric oxide (NO) radicals and reduce Fe³⁺. Consistently, Cath-DM-NT can protect PC12 cells from H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage and carrageenan-induced paw edema, reduce malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and restore superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) levels. Our study suggests that Cath-DM-NT can serve as a lead compound for the development of drugs with dual lectin and antioxidant effects.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Cathelicidin; Chansu; Lectin; Peptide.

MeSH terms

Animals
Antioxidants* / chemistry
Antioxidants* / pharmacology
Bufonidae
Cathelicidins*
Glutathione
Hydrogen Peroxide / pharmacology
Lectins / pharmacology
Rats

Substances

Antioxidants
Cathelicidins
Lectins
Hydrogen Peroxide
Glutathione