Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are an emerging threat in this century. Epinecidin-1 is a multi-functional Antimicrobial Peptide (AMP) produced by Orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) has been shown to have extensive potentials as an alternative for current antibiotics. Due to the huge costs for the study and the production of a new drug, if an antimicrobial peptide has other beneficial functions in addition to antimicrobial activities, it would be preferred. In this study, properties and applications of Epinecidin-1 were investigated and addressed comprehensively. To achieve this, the Google Scholar search engine and three databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were used. Epinecidin-1 is a cationic AMP with an alpha-helical structure. Seven functional usages of this peptide have been reported in the literature including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiprotozoal, anticancer, immunomodulatory, and wound healing properties. Moreover, this peptide has high potential to be used as an active ingredient in cleaning solutions as well as application in vaccine production. Due to significant antimicrobial activities tested on bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Helicobacter pylori and also wound healing properties, Epi-1 has high potential to be considered as an important candidate for the production of new drugs and treatment of various infections including diabetic foot ulcer and peptic ulcer. Moreover, adjuvant-like properties of Epi-1 make it a suitable candidate for the studies related to an adjuvant. Other attractive properties such as anticancer effects have also been reported for this peptide which encourages further studies on this peptide.

Cancer is a leading cause of death and a vital health care challenge in the world. Hence, this work was conducted to determine the in vitro anticancer property and also the molecular mechanism of aqueous and organic extracts of Ipomoea purpurea leaves in three human cancer cell lines, including A-549 (human lung cancer), HepG-2 (human liver cancer), MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer), and MCF-10A (breast normal cell line). In vitro cytotoxic potential of organic extracts, such as hexane, chloroform, ethyl-acetate, methanol, and aqueous extract was examined using a standard (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) MTT method in both monolayer two-dimensional (2D) and spheroids multicellular three-dimensional (3D) cultures. The MTT assay data showed that methanol and chloroform extracts of I. purpurea leaves had the antiproliferative effect on lung and breast cancer cells with IC₅₀ of 53.62±0.07 and 124.5±0.01µg/mL, respectively. The results of further examinations, such as dual acridine orange/ethidium bromide, Annexin V-FITC/PI, and caspase-3 colorimetric assay, confirmed that methanol and chloroform extracts of I. purpurea as the most potent cytotoxic extracts might contain a variety of phytochemicals, promoting apoptosis in lung and breast cancer cells. The present research findings suggested that methanolic extract of I. purpurea leaves induced S-phase cell cycle arrest and intrinsic pathway of apoptosis in A-549 lung cancer cells. The study further showed that I. purpurea could be a helpful candidate for cancer treatment.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. Unfortunately, the present anticancer chemotherapeutics display high cytotoxicity. Accordingly, the discovery of new anticancer agents with lower side effects is highly necessitated. This study aimed to discover an anticancer compound from Hemiscorpius lepturus scorpion venom. Bioactivity-guided chromatography was performed to isolate an active compound against colon and breast cancer cell lines. 2D electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF were performed to identify the molecule. A partial protein sequence was obtained by mass spectrometry, while the full-length was deciphered using a cDNA library of the venom gland by bioinformatics analyses and was designated as leptulipin. The gene was cloned in pET-26b, expressed, and purified. The anticancer effect and mechanism action of leptulipin were evaluated by MTT, apoptosis, and cell cycle assays, as well as by gene expression analysis of apoptosis-related genes. The treated cells displayed inhibition of cell proliferation, altered morphology, DNA fragmentation, and cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, the treated cells showed a decrease in BCL-2 expression and an increase in Bax and Caspase 9 genes. In this study, we discovered a new anticancer protein from H. lepturus scorpion venom. Leptulipin showed significant anticancer activity against breast and colon cancer cell lines.