title: Toxin-based therapeutic approaches.
abstract: Protein toxins confer a defense against predation/grazing or a superior pathogenic competence upon the producing organism. Such toxins have been perfected through evolution in poisonous animals/plants and pathogenic bacteria. Over the past five decades, a lot of effort has been invested in studying their mechanism of action, the way they contribute to pathogenicity and in the development of antidotes that neutralize their action. In parallel, many research groups turned to explore the pharmaceutical potential of such toxins when they are used to efficiently impair essential cellular processes and/or damage the integrity of their target cells. The following review summarizes major advances in the field of toxin based therapeutics and offers a comprehensive description of the mode of action of each applied toxin.
authors: Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel. assafsha@yahoo.com.
authors: Assaf
authors: A
authors: Shapira
authors: Itai
authors: I
authors: Benhar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005075:Biological Evolution; D016923:Cell Death / Q000235:genetics; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005260:Female; D041722:Genes, Transgenic, Suicide; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D000922:Immunotoxins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010947:Plants, Toxic / Q000737:chemistry*; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D000922:Immunotoxins; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014118:Toxins, Biological