{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T21:15:42Z","timestamp":1772658942106,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,4,8]],"date-time":"2016-04-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1460073600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Marine Drugs"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Toxins that are secreted by cone snails are small peptides that are used to treat several diseases. However, their effects on parasites with human and veterinary significance are unknown. Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic parasite that affects approximately 30% of the world\u2019s population and can be lethal in immunologically compromised individuals. The conventional treatment for this parasitic infection has remained the same since the 1950s, and its efficacy is limited to the acute phase of infection. These findings have necessitated the search for new drugs that specifically target T. gondii. We examined the effects of the synthetic toxin cal14.1a (s-cal14.1a) from C. californicus on the tachyzoite form of T. gondii. Our results indicate that, at micromolar concentrations, s-cal14.1a lowers viability and inhibits host cell invasion (by 50% and 61%, respectively) on exposure to extracellular parasites. Further, intracellular replication decreased significantly while viability of the host cell was unaffected. Our study is the first report on the antiparasitic activity of a synthetic toxin of C. californicus.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/md14040066","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,4,8]],"date-time":"2016-04-08T21:02:38Z","timestamp":1460149358000},"page":"66","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":22,"title":["In Vitro Effect of the Synthetic cal14.1a Conotoxin, Derived from Conus californicus, on the Human Parasite Toxoplasma gondii"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Marco","family":"De Le\u00f3n-Nava","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Innovaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica, Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Cient\u00edfica y de Educaci\u00f3n Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Baja California, C.P. 22860, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4359-4243","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eunice","family":"Romero-N\u00fa\u00f1ez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Subdirecci\u00f3n de Investigaci\u00f3n B\u00e1sica, Instituto Nacional de Cancerolog\u00eda, Secretar\u00eda de Salud, San Fernando No. 22, Col. Secci\u00f3n XVI, Tlalpan, Ciudad de Mexico, C.P. 14080, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ang\u00e9lica","family":"Luna-Nophal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Inmunolog\u00eda, Instituto de Investigaciones Biom\u00e9dicas, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de Mexico; Ciudad de Mexico, C.P. 04510, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Johanna","family":"Bern\u00e1ldez-Sarabia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Innovaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica, Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Cient\u00edfica y de Educaci\u00f3n Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Baja California, C.P. 22860, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Liliana","family":"S\u00e1nchez-Campos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Innovaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica, Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Cient\u00edfica y de Educaci\u00f3n Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Baja California, C.P. 22860, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4022-7405","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexei","family":"Licea-Navarro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Innovaci\u00f3n Biom\u00e9dica, Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Cient\u00edfica y de Educaci\u00f3n Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Baja California, C.P. 22860, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jorge","family":"Morales-Montor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Inmunolog\u00eda, Instituto de Investigaciones Biom\u00e9dicas, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de Mexico; Ciudad de Mexico, C.P. 04510, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sa\u00e9","family":"Mu\u00f1iz-Hern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Subdirecci\u00f3n de Investigaci\u00f3n B\u00e1sica, Instituto Nacional de Cancerolog\u00eda, Secretar\u00eda de Salud, San Fernando No. 22, Col. Secci\u00f3n XVI, Tlalpan, Ciudad de Mexico, C.P. 14080, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,4,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mib.2006.06.017","article-title":"Pulling together: An integrated model of Toxoplasma cell invasion","volume":"10","author":"Carruthers","year":"2007","journal-title":"Curr. Opin. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"787","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1462-5822.2011.01585.x","article-title":"Invasion factors are coupled to key signalling events leading to the establishment of infection in apicomplexan parasites","volume":"13","author":"Santos","year":"2011","journal-title":"Cell. 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