Brazilian Bothrops and Crotalus Snake Venoms as a Source of Antiprotozoal Agents: Unlocking Toxins for Therapeutic Development

Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are neglected tropical diseases that continue to pose significant public health challenges, highlighting the need for new therapeutic strategies. Brazilian snake venoms represent a valuable and underexplored source of bioactive molecules with diverse pharmacological activities and promising therapeutic potential. In this context, the present study aimed to investigate the in vitro antiprotozoal potential of venoms from Bothrops and Crotalus species, including Bothrops jararacussu, Bothrops pauloensis, Bothrops alternatus, Bothrops leucurus, Bothrops atrox, Bothrops jararaca, Crotalus durissus terrificus, and Crotalus durissus ruruima, metalloprotease (MTL)- and crotoxin (CTX)-enriched, against Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi. Crude venom protein profiles were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, and cytotoxicity was assessed in differentiated C2C12 myotubes and murine peritoneal macrophages. Antiprotozoal activity was evaluated against extracellular parasite forms, including promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania infantum and epimastigotes of T. cruzi. Venoms exhibiting the highest selectivity indices (SIs), calculated using murine macrophage cytotoxicity data, were further tested against intracellular amastigotes of L. amazonensis. Among the tested samples, B. jararacussu venom showed activity against promastigotes of both L. amazonensis (IC50 = 2.9 µg mL−1) and L. infantum (IC50 = 2.8 µg mL−1), as well as in epimastigotes of T. cruzi (IC50 = 15.5 µg mL−1). The MTLand CTX pools from C. d. ruruima venom exhibited the highest activity against promastigotes of L. amazonensis, with IC50 values of 1.6 and 3.8 µg mL−1, respectively. Against intracellular amastigotes, MTL and CTX showed IC50 values of 4.1 and 2.5 µg mL−1, respectively, with selectivity indices (SIs) of 73.1 and 120, respectively. Overall, these findings provide preliminary evidence for the antiparasitic potential of snake venom-derived molecules, supporting further characterization and in vivo evaluation.