Advances in snake venom studies: from lethal toxins to new drug development
10.16438/j.0513-4870.2020-0249
- VernacularTitle:蛇毒研究进展: 从致命毒素到新药开发
- Author:
De-gang DONG
1
,
2
;
Wan-chun WANG
3
;
Zhong-ping DENG
1
Author Information
1. Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
2. School of Life Sciences, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China
3. Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330006, China
- Publication Type:Research Article
- Keywords:
snake venom;
chemical composition;
toxic action;
pharmacological activity;
rug development
- From:
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica
2020;55(9):2019-2026
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Snake bite is a common acute and severe disease in tropical and subtropical regions, and its public health importance has been largely neglected. Snake venom is a complex mixture of active proteins, polypeptides, and other toxins. Many of these components can target multiple ion channels, cell receptors, and membrane transporters. Compared with traditional small molecule drugs, the proteins and polypeptides from snake venom have stronger specificity and affinity to targets and are especially suitable for novel drug design. The current studies show that snake venom and its components have great potential for development as leading compounds of new drugs. In this paper, the recent advances in main components, toxic effects, and detoxification strategies of snake venom, as well as its pharmacological activities and medical application are reviewed. The aim is to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of snake bite and development of new drugs based on snake venom.
