독거미 Psalmopoeus cambridgei에서 추출한 거미독 펩타이드 독소의 항말라리아 특성 = Antimalarial Characteristics of Peptide Toxins from the Venom of the Tarantula Psalmopoeus cambridgei

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Two antimalarial peptide toxins, PcFK1 and PcFK 2, isolated from the venom of the tarantula Psalmopoeus cambridgei were reported to inhibit the intra-erythrocyte stage of Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria in vitro. In the present study, their selectivity and specificity to the intra-erythrocytic parasite was further investigated. Two peptide toxins were determined to have no significant effect on microorganisms, intracellular parasitic bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis, and human cervical epithelial cells. Both PcFK1 and PcFK2 did not induce hemolytic effect on red blood cells (RBCs), while they rapidly inhibited the growth of the intra-erythrocyte parasite by inducing its abnormality within 1 hr without affecting the morphology of RBCs. These results suggest that PcFK1 and PcFK2 have specific effect on P. falciparum- infected RBCs and will provide basic information to determine their mode of action for the rational development of novel antimalarial drugs.

Key words：Antimalarial peptide, tarantula toxin, Plasmodium falciparum, intra- erythrocyte stage.