José María Cunill-Flores

Mr. José María Cunill-Flores

Universidad Politécnica Metropolitana de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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20 January 2023 in Toxins
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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Nemesio Villa-RuanoNemesio Villa-Ruano
Nemesio Villa-Ruano
EBElvia Becerra-Martínez
Elvia Becerra-Martínez
JCJosé María Cunill-Flores
José María Cunill-Flores
Jorge Ariel Torres-CastilloJorge Ariel Torres-Castillo
Jorge Ariel Torres-Castillo
GVGuillermo Manuel Horta Valerdi
Guillermo Manuel Horta Valerdi
YHYesenia Pacheco Hernández
Yesenia Pacheco Hernández
Lepidopterism caused by caterpillar contact is considered a public health problem around the world. The local and systemic responses of this pathology include short- and long-term inflammatory events. Although the proteolytic activity of the venoms from caterpillars is strongly associated with an inflammatory response in humans and murine models, fast and acute symptoms such as a burning sensation, itching, and pain should be related to the presence of low-weight hydrophilic molecules which easily influence cell metabolism. This investigation reports on the 1H-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) profiling of the venom from the larva of Hylesia continua, a caterpillar linked to frequent cases of lepidopterism in the northern highlands of Puebla, Mexico. According to one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR data, the venom of H. continua contained 19 compounds with proven pain-inducing activity (i.e., acetic acid, lactic acid, formic acid, succinic acid, 2-hydroxyglutaric acid, ethanol, and glutamate), inflammatory activity (i.e., cadaverine, putrescine, and acetoin), as well as natural immunosuppressive activity (i.e., O-phosphocholine and urocanic acid). The levels of the 19 compounds were calculated using quantitative-NMR (qNMR) and extensively discussed on the basis of their toxic properties which partially explain typical symptoms of lepidopterism caused by the larvae of H. continua. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation reporting a complex mixture of small molecules with inflammatory properties dissolved in the venom of a lepidopteran larva.