Protective effect of scorpion venom oligopeptides in human umbilical vein endothelial cells under benzo(α)pyrene exposure.

Inflammation and oxidative stress play pivotal role in the process of atherosclerosis. Scorpion venom is widely used as anti-cancer agent, however, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of scorpion venom peptides (SVPs) are rarely explored. In the current study, seven novel SVPs were isolated in a protective activity tracking isolation method in a cell model of benzo(α)pyrene (BaP)-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The current study showed that SVP-1 [Tyr-Thr-Trp-Glu-Ala] significantly attenuated BaP-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) over-production and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, NO and PGE2) over-expression. Furthermore, SVP-1 attenuated BaP-induced adhesion molecules over-expression and inhibited the NF-κB and AhR signalling pathways activation. Collectively, the present study, for the first time, shows that SVPs inhibit the NF-κB and AhR signalling pathways in HUVECs under BaP-exposure, which strongly suggests the therapeutic potential of SVPs against atherosclerosis.