Biotoxins:Bridging Lethal Threats and Medical Innovations
10.13865/j.cnki.cjbmb.2025.10.0454
- VernacularTitle:生物毒素:从致命威胁到医药创新
- Author:
Zhong-Hua LIU
1
Author Information
1. 湖南师范大学生命科学学院动物多肽药物创制国家地方联合工程实验室,长沙 410081
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
biotoxins;
historical development;
current status and trends;
drug innovation
- From:
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2025;41(10):1377-1379
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Biotoxins are widely distributed in animals,plants,and microorganisms,functioning as"chemical weapons"of proteins,peptides,or small molecules that evolved for predation,defense,and competition.Compared with general chemical toxins,biotoxins exhibit high potency,strong specificity,and remarkable molecular diversity.While posing potential threats to human health,they also provide u-nique value in elucidating disease mechanisms and inspiring drug development.Representative drugs such as captopril,botulinum toxin,ziconotide,and GLP-1 receptor agonists mark milestones in the ther-apeutic application of toxins.To date,over one hundred biotoxin-derived drug candidates have entered clinical trials across multiple major diseases.However,this field still faces challenges,including low ef-ficiency in resource discovery,limited structural and mechanistic insights,inherent toxicity,and con-straints in synthesis and modification technologies.Looking forward,advances in multi-omics,artificial intelligence,and synthetic biology will drive efficient toxin discovery,detoxification strategies,and preci-sion applications,ultimately promoting a closed-loop progression from basic research to clinical transla-tion.
