Melittin

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MELITTIN - A REVIEW Vishnu Hemant, Shanti V School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore ABSTRACT Melittin is the prime component of the bee venom. Nearly 40-50% of the bee venom is composed of melittin. . Structurally, it is a small linear peptide and is composed of 26 amino acid residues. Studies have shown its various applications in therapeutics. It basically acts on the cell membrane, disrupts the membrane permeability barrier by a variety of mechanisms leading to the loss of cytoplasmic membrane integrity and eventually cell death. This review paper discusses the membrane interactions of melittin, its antimicrobial properties and various other therapeutic applications of the same. Its activity on cell membrane …show more content…

Chagas disease)[3]. Melittin contains distinct hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains with four cationic amino acids sequestered near the c-terminus. It exhibits a very strong broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and is also highly haemolytic[1,6,7]. Subsequent disruption of the membrane permeability barrier may occur by a variety of mechanisms, leading ultimately to loss of cytoplasmic membrane integrity and cell death. STRUCTURE Structurally, Melittin is a small linear peptide consisting of 26 amino acids. Melittin: G I G A I L K V L A T G L P T L I S W I K N K R K It is of hydrophobic nature. At physiological pH, it has a pH of +6(four at highly basic C- terminal region (Lys-Arg-Lys-Arg) and the remaining two in the N-terminal region, Lys-7 and the N-terminal group (Gly-1)). Melittin happens to be amphipathic due to the asymmetric distribution of the polar and non polar amino acids, when aligned in an alpha- helical configuration[]. Structure showing the Helical wheel projection and schematic representation of the amphipathic helix of melittin the one letter code for amino acids is used. Hydrophobic residues are shown in white, polar residues in gray and cationic residues in black circles. …show more content…

It hinders the production of gag/pol by HIV protease by binding to the gag/pol precursor. [23]. Vaginal cream potential therapeutic application. New research shows that melittin on nanoparticles fuses with the envelope and forms little pore like attack complexes amd ruptures the envelope, stripping it off the virus. MELITTIN FOR TREATMENT OF CHAGAS DISEASE Melittin has shown to be lethal to the Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of chagas disease. It was demonstrated that melittin affected all of the development forms of T.cruzi, including intracellular amastigotes. Epimastigotes were killed by autophagic cell death while trypomastigotes were killed by apoptotic mechanism.[24] CONCLUSION Melittin is one of the most common and naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide. Extensive research has been already done on it so far and much work is still going on the same. Thisone antimicrobial peptide has been shown to have potential for so much therapeutic applicatons such as antimicrobial and antiviral uses, colonal cancer,etc. Much more biophysical studies have to be done for further understanding its cellular and membranal activities and

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