Scorpion venom is a potent natural source for antitumor drug development due to the multiple action modes of anticancer components. Although the sequence of Androcin 18−1 has been identified from the transcriptome profile of the scorpion venom Androctonus bicolor, its bioactivity remains unclear. In this study, we described the antitumor mechanism whereby Androcin 18−1 inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis by inducing cell membrane disruption, ROS accumulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction in human U87 glioblastoma cells. Moreover, Androcin 18−1 could suppress cell migration via the mechanisms associated with cytoskeleton disorganization and MMPs/TIMPs expression regulation. The discovery of this work highlights the potential application of Androcin 18−1 in drug development for glioblastoma treatment.
Wang, K., Nguyen, T., Gao, Y., Guo, R., Fan, C., Liao, H., Li, J., Chai, J., Xu, X., Gong, Y., & Chen, X. (2024). Androcin 18−1, a novel scorpion-venom peptide, shows a potent antitumor activity against human U87 cells via inducing mitochondrial dysfunction. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 104137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2024.104137