SNAKE VENOMS AND THEIR THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15547/tjs.2024.03.009Keywords:
Snake venoms, enzymes, neurotoxins, therapeutic applications, drugsAbstract
Snake venoms are complex heterogeneous mixtures containing different bioactive molecules with multivalent nature. Most of these components are proteins displaying enzymatic or non-enzymatic biological and pharmacological activities and toxicological potential. Their functional activities on various tissues and organs lead to the manifestation of diverse effects such as neurotoxicity, myotoxicity, cytotoxicity, inflammation, influence on hemostasis, apoptosis, necrosis and other, causing simultaneous damage to various physiological systems. At the same time, the unique molecular features of snake venom compounds make them valuable scientific tools for understanding different physiological processes, and allows them to fulfil their great potential in medicine and pharmacology as therapeutic agents and diagnostic tools. Many snake venom toxins have been found to exert analgesic, antiplatelet, hypotensive, antitumor, anti/pro-inflammatory or other potencies, as some of them have already been used as a base for design of commercially available pharmaceuticals.
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