Behavior of Α-Tomatine and Tomatidine Against Several Genera of Trypanosomatids from Insects and Plants and Trypanosoma Cruzi
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Acta Scientiarum http://periodicos.uem.br/ojs/acta ISSN on-line: 1807-863X Doi: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v40i1.41853 BIOTECHNOLOGY Behavior of α-tomatine and tomatidine against several genera of trypanosomatids from insects and plants and Trypanosoma cruzi Adriane Feijó Evangelista1, Erica Akemi Kavati2, Jose Vitor Jankevicius3 and Rafael Andrade Menolli4* 1Centro de Pesquisa em Oncologia Molecular, Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, Barretos, São Paulo, Brazil. 2Laboratório de Genética, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. 3Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. 4Centro de Ciências Médicas e Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Rua Universitária, 2069, 85819-110, Cascavel, Paraná, Brazil. *Author for correspondence. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. Glycoalkaloids are important secondary metabolites accumulated by plants as protection against pathogens. One of them, α-tomatine, is found in high concentrations in green tomato fruits, while in the ripe fruits, its aglycone form, tomatidine, does not present a protective effect, and it is usual to find parasites of tomatoes like Phytomonas serpens in these ripe fruits. To investigate the sensitivity of trypanosomatids to the action of α-tomatine, we used logarithmic growth phase culture of 20 trypanosomatids from insects and plants and Trypanosoma cruzi. The lethal dose 50% (LD50) was determined by mixing 107 cells of the different isolates with α-tomatine at concentrations ranging from 10-3 to 10-8 M for 30 min at room temperature. The same tests performed with the tomatidine as a control showed no detectable toxicity against the same trypanosomatid cultures. The tests involved determination of the percentage (%) survival of the protozoan cultures in a Neubauer chamber using optical microscopy. The LD50 values varied from 10-4 to 10-6 M α-tomatine. Slight differences were detected among the LD50 values of the analyzed samples, and none of them showed evidence of resistance to the action of tomatinase, as shown by some pathogenic fungi. Keywords: tomato alkaloids; trypanocidal activity; Phytomonas; Leptomonas; Crithidia; Herpetomonas. Comportamento de α-tomatina e tomatidina contra vários gêneros de tripanossomatídeos de insetos e plantas e Trypanosoma cruzi RESUMO. Os glicoalcaloides são metabólitos secundários importantes produzidos pelas plantas e estão envolvidos em sua proteção contra agentes patogênicos. Um deles, α-tomatina, é encontrado em altas concentrações em frutos de tomate verde, enquanto que, nos frutos maduros, sua forma aglicona, tomatidina, não apresenta um efeito protetor, sendo comum encontrar parasitas de tomates como Phytomonas serpens nesses frutos maduros. Para investigar a sensibilidade dos tripanossomatídeos à ação da α-tomatina, utilizamos formas de cultura em fase logarítmica de 20 tripanossomatídeos de plantas e insetos e Trypanosoma cruzi. A dose letal 50% (DL50) foi determinada, misturando 107 células das formas de cultura com concentrações de 10-3 a 10-8 M de α-tomatina durante trinta minutos a temperatura ambiente. Testes realizados com a tomatidina como controle não mostraram toxicidade detectável contra os mesmos tripanossomatídeos. Os testes foram avaliados pela porcentagem (%) de sobrevivência das formas de cultura dos protozoários observados por microscopia óptica em câmara de Neubauer. Os resultados da determinação de DL50 mostraram que esta variou entre 10-4 a 10-6 M de α-tomatina. Pequenas diferenças foram observadas entre os valores de DL50 das amostras analisadas, e nenhuma delas mostrou evidência de resistência pela ação da tomatinidase, como demonstrado em alguns fungos patogênicos. Palavras-chave: alcaloides de tomate; atividade tripanocida; Phytomonas; Leptomonas; Crithidia; Herpetomonas. Introduction affects millions of people, particularly in Latin America (Moncayo & Silveira, 2017). There is no Some species of the family Trypanosomatidae vaccine against infections with T. cruzi and are responsible for diseases that affect humans, Leishmania sp. and chemotherapy remains the only animals (Leishmania and Trypanosoma) and plants means of treatment for Chagas disease and (Phytomonas). Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiologic agent leishmaniasis. Meanwhile, the drugs available for of Chagas disease (Chagas, 1909) and various species treatment are few and their efficacy are limited, are responsible for leishmaniasis, illnesses that mainly due to the development of resistance and the Acta Scientiarum. Biological Sciences, v. 40, e41853, 2018 Page 2 of 6 Evangelista et al. lack of host specificity (Silva-Jardim, Thiemann, & (Arwiyanto, Sakata, Goto, Tsuyumu, & Takikawa, Anibal, 2014). Many plants harbor trypanosomatids, 1994) and Tetrahihmena pyriformis (Surak & which primarily reside in the xylem, phloem tubes Schifanella, 1979). (Dollet, 2001), fruits and/or seeds (Jankevicius et al., The aim of this study was to analyze the activity 1989; Jankevicius et al., 1993) of infected plants. of α-tomatine against flagellate protozoans that act as The investigation of chemicals as candidate etiological agents of diseases in plants with great substances causing cytotoxic effects to economic importance, such as tomato, grape and trypanosomatids is a challenging area of research. coffee plants. However, plant secondary metabolites, known to be involved in plant chemical defense systems, could be Material and methods active against endoparasites, including protozoa. Glycoalkaloids - Commercial tomatine and There is recent evidence of growth inhibition of tomatidine (Sigma Chemical Company™) were Phytomonas serpens by α-tomatine and tomatidine. In used, diluted in phosphate buffered saline (PBS; the present study, in vitro assays were carried out to Gibco™), pH 7.2, containing 10% ethanol in serial show, for the first time, the toxicity of α-tomatine, dilutions of 10-3 to 10-8 M. Treatment with 10% but not tomatidine, against a wide range of plant and ethanol alone had no effect on cell proliferation. insect trypanosomatids and T. cruzi. Protozoans - Twenty trypanosomatids, isolated Plant secondary metabolites play an essential role from fruits, seeds and insects, were characterized as in plant resistance to parasitic infections caused by described for Batistoti et al. (2001), Catarino et al. bacteria, fungi, viruses and insects (Friedman, 2002). (2001) and Serrano et al. (1999) using These specialized compounds include phenolic immunological methods (monoclonal antibodies) compounds, phytoalexins, protease inhibitors and and molecular techniques (polymerase chain alkaloids. Glycoalkaloids are a family of chemical reaction (PCR), hybridization and random amplified compounds derived from alkaloids. In tomato plants polymorphic DNA (RAPD)). All isolates are (Solanum lycopersicum), an important glycoalkaloid characterized as belonging to four genera called α-tomatine has demonstrated the capacity to (Phytomonas, Crithidia, Herpetomonas, Leptomonas), kill microorganisms in vitro (Kaup, Gräfen, and were grown at 28ºC in GYPMI medium Zellermann, Eichenlaub, & Gartemann, 2005; (Jankevicius et al., 1993), maintained in the Sandrock & Vanetten, 1998). The carbohydrate parts logarithmic growth phase through weekly of this molecule potentially play an important role, subcultures. Epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi (Y while the aglycone form, tomatidine, shows poor strain), also in the logarithmic growth phase, were antibiotic characteristics (Chagnon et al., 2014). maintained in this phase by weekly transfer in liver- The α-tomatine structure has been shown to infusion tryptose (LIT) medium. contain a hydrophilic part, constituted by a Effects on growth - Determination of the LD50 7 tetrasaccharide side chain called lycotetraose, which involved mixing equal volumes of 10 protozoans, consists of two d-glucose units, one d-xylose and washed and resuspended in PBS, with the one d-galactose unit; a hydrophobic part, comprised glycoalkaloids. After 30 min., cell densities were of the steroidal moiety of glycoalkaloid; and a polar - evaluated in a Neubauer chamber at room NH group. Α tomatine can be partially or temperature. The lethality of both substances was completely hydrolyzed by acid, and the resulting determined by observing the motility of substances are called β1-, β2-, γ-, δ-tomatine and trypanosomatids, and the LD50 was determined by tomatidine (Friedman, 2002). the % protozoan mortality, according to the method The ability to lyse cells has been demonstrated of Reed and Muench (1938). After the time of previously (Roddick & Drysdale, 1984) and was exposure, aliquots of the mixture were mounted on linked to adherence to sterols in membranes. This slides, fixed with methanol and stained with Giemsa. characteristic makes tomatine a lethal weapon in the Statistical analysis - Data from at least three defense mechanism of tomato plants against independent experiments were expressed as mean microorganisms, previously demonstrated against values. Statistical significance was calculated using fungi, bacteria and protozoa, such as Beauveria two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post-hoc- bassiana (Costa & Gaugler, 1989), Fusarium oxysporum test. A difference was significant when p ≤ 0.05. (Smith & MacHardy, 1982), Phytophora megasperma Analyses were performed using GraphPad 5.0 (Steel & Drysdale, 1988), Pseudomonas solanacearum software. Acta Scientiarum. Biological Sciences, v. 40, e41853, 2018 α-Tomatine and tomatidine activity against trypanosomatids Page 3 of 6 Results