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Salivary Glands of Female Ticks Rhipicephalus sanguineus Like a Potential Source of Molecules with Inhibitory Action: In vivo study with Walker 256 Tumor Cells

Marina Rodrigues de Abreu, Fabiana Alonso Rocha, Karim C. S. Furquim, Luis Adriano Anholeto, Fabiana Cristina Fuzaro Novaes, Maria José Morsoleto and Maria Izabel Camargo-Mathias

This study evaluated the effects of one or two injection of differents concentrations (0.2 and 0.04μg/μL) of extracts obtained from the salivary glands of female ticks Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) (Latreille, 1806) also called “brown dog tick” fed for 2 days on the rabbit hosts on the morpho-physiology of the leg musculature of female Wistar rats inoculated with Walker 256 tumor cells. The number of leukocytes and the creatinine levels were quantified for individuals from all groups. The results of both histology and electron microscopy revealed that a single, low-concentration injection of the extract (0.04μg/μL) was more effective in containing tumor invasion and caused less ‘collateral damage’ to the muscle tissue, which was the object of this study. The results also revealed that creatinine levels were higher in rats subjected to both one and two injections of the extract at a concentration of 0.04μg/μL than in those subjected to one and two injections of the extract at the higher concentration (0.2μg/μL), suggesting that in the first group, injection of the extract contributed to maintaining the integrity of the muscle tissue. With regard to the number of leukocytes, the results suggested that in all the inoculated rats (Walker 256 cells), there was a significant increase in the total number of leukocytes. The inoculated rats that received both one and two injections of the extract at a concentration of 0.2μg/μL experienced a significant increase in the number of leukocytes compared with those inoculated but not exposed to the extract; this result can be explained by the fact that beyond the tumor cells, the extract itself acted to boost the defense response at this concentration. However, inoculated rats subjected to injections (one and two) of the extract at a concentration of 0.04μg/μL showed a significant decrease in the total number of leukocytes compared with rats that were only inoculated and those inoculated and injected with the extract at a concentration of 0.2μg/μL. These results reinforced that the extract at the 0.04μg/μL concentration not only acted more effectively to inhibit Walker 256 tumor cells but also did not act as a stressor, because the number of leukocytes was lower. Therefore, the data obtained here indicated that the same molecules or a pool of molecules produced by the salivary glands of ticks belonging to this species have the ability to inhibit tumor growth, while minimizing ‘collateral damage’ to the body.