Physiological effects of a novel artificially synthesized antimalarial cyclic peptide: Mahafacyclin B

Mahafacyclin B is a cyclic peptide isolated from the latex of Jatropha mahafalensis and is an antimalarial agent. However, the physiological effects of mahafacyclin B in mammalian cells are not known. Here, we assessed the growth, morphology, and alterations in the transcriptome of CHO-K1 cells exposed to mahafacyclin B (0–22 μM). Mahafacyclin B at 2.2 μM did not affect the proliferation or death of CHO-K1 cells. Mahafacyclin B was not toxic to mammalian cells at 2.2 μM, which represents a normal physiological concentration at which mahafacyclin B retains its antimalarial properties. Interestingly, mahafacyclin B altered the size and morphology of CHO-K1 cells. Comparative transcriptomics revealed that mahafacyclin B modulated the expression of a specific subset of genes.