The anti-ovarian carcinoma activity of L-amino acid oxidase from Crotalus adamanteus venom in vivo and in vitro.

Snake venom L-Amino-acid oxidase (svLAAO) has become a critical research target in molecular biology and medical science since its widespread presence and diverse biological roles, including antitumor application. Our research confirmed that Crotalus adamanteus (C. adamanteus) venom LAAO exhibited potential anti-ovarian cancer activity both in vivo and in vitro. C. adamanteus venom LAAO significantly reduced viability of ovarian cancer cells and caused morphological changes that preceded cell death. The results of molecular biology experiments showed that C. adamanteus venom LAAO caused expression changes of genes related to apoptotic pathways either intrinsically or extrinsically in ovarian cancer cells. Animal experiments and histological analysis also proved that C. adamanteus venom LAAO could effectively inhibit the tissue damage caused by ovarian cancer, and animals treated with C. adamanteus venom LAAO showed higher survival time. Catalase blocked the major apoptosis induction of C. adamanteus venom LAAO on ovarian cancer cells, suggesting that the cytotoxicity of C. adamanteus venom LAAO on ovarian cancer cells was mainly mediated by H2O2. These results infer that C. adamanteus venom LAAO will have some advantages in new drug research and antitumor drug development in future.