title: Anticancer potential of animal venoms and toxins.
abstract: Anticancer drug development from natural resources are ventured throughout the world. Animal venoms and toxins a potential bio resource and a therapeutic tool were known to man for centuries through folk and traditional knowledge. The biodiversity of venoms and toxins made it a unique source of leads and structural templates from which new therapeutic agents may be developed. Venoms of several animal species (snake, scorpion, toad, frog etc) and their active components (protein and non protein toxins, peptides, enzymes, etc) have shown therapeutic potential against cancer. In the present review, the anticancer potential of venoms and toxins from snakes, scorpions, toads and frogs has been discussed. Some of these molecules are in the clinical trials and may find their way towards anticancer drug development in the near future. The implications of combination therapy of natural products in cancer have been discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxinology and Experimental Pharmacodynamics, Department of Physiology, University of Calcutta, 92 A P C Road, Kolkata 700 009, India. agomescu@gmail.com
authors.forename: Antony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.forename: Pushpak
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bhattacharjee
authors.forename: Roshnara
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Ajoy K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: Subir Chandra
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
authors.forename: Biplab
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Giri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001001:Anura / Q000378:metabolism; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012605:Scorpions / Q000737:chemistry; D012911:Snakes / Q000378:metabolism; D014688:Venoms / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014688:Venoms