Argiotoxin
Argiotoxins represent a class of polyamine toxins isolated from the orb-weaver spider (Araneus gemma and Argiope lobata). The orb-weaver spiders, also known as araneids; belong to the Araneidae spider family. This type of spiders is located in almost every area of the world.
Argiotoxin can be classified, according to the 1980s classification of spider venoms, as a toxin of the acylpolyamines family, which contains more than 100 different chemical structures of closely related toxins. Acylpolyamines are neurotoxic compounds that are found only in the venom glands of spiders at a picomolecular level.
Argiotoxins are classified into three different categories according to its chromophore’s nature: the argiopine type, the argiopinine type and the pseudoargiopinine type.
It is a low molecular weight neurotoxin which has highly functional polar groups: free phenolic OH and amine and guanidine residues.
It also possesses arginine (free NH2) connected to a -NH (CH)3 NH (C ~) 3NH (CH) 5-NH- one through a peptide bond polyamine. The polyamine is connected to the asparagine's α-carboxyl group. The amino group of this aminoacid is linked to 2,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid.
Its structure was established using spectroscopy 1H, 13C-RMN, mass spectrometry and elemental aminoacid analysis.
A complete synthesis strategy of argiotoxin and derivatives was developed in order to make biological tests in different living beings.
A noted type of argiotoxin, the Arg-636, which molecular formula is C29H52N10O6 [3], has a molecular weight of 636.78658 g/mol. It has a formal charge of 0. Its IUPAC name is: (2S) - N- { 5 - [ 3 - ( 3 - [ [ (2S)-2-amino-5-(diaminomethylideneamino) pentanoyl ] amino ] propylamino ) propylamino ] pentyl } -2- { [ 2 - (2,4-dihydroxyphenyl) acetyl ] amino } butanediamide
The effects of argiotoxin, when it enters the organism by arachnidism, are harmless to humans, although in certain cases the bite of argiotoxin spiders can produce mild swelling and itching. Argiotoxin antagonizes the actions of the neurotransmitter glutamate, blocks the functioning of ion channel and affects the synaptic transmission of preys. These toxins, like all the other low-molecular-weight toxins, have a huge potential to be used in neurochemical studies to develop novel drugs of neurotherapeutic applications.
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