[Therapeutic applications of pore-forming lytic toxins: potential use of Escherichia coli alpha-hemolysin].

Many infectious bacteria export soluble proteins which can damage the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells. Most often they are directed against leukocytes for the purpose of reducing the immune response of the host. In some cases, these toxins are also hemolytic. It has been proposed that both leukotoxic and hemolytic activities could derive from the pore formation in the membranes of the attacked cells. The study of these molecules is not only important from the point of view of basic studies to determine the mechanism of action, but also for potential application in biotechnology and medicine. These molecules increase the cell susceptibility to chemotherapy and also can be employed to destroy specifically cancer cells. On the other hand, it is possible to incorporate toxin molecules in liposomes, transforming them in to biosensors or as controlled drug delivery systems. This aspect has not been extensively explored in Escherichia coli alpha-hemolysin, in which the presence of different functional and structural domains in this molecule could be taken advantage of.