title: Biodiversity as a source of bioactive compounds against snakebites.
abstract: Snakebites are a frequently neglected public health issue in tropical and subtropical countries. According to the World Health Organization, 5 million people are bitten annually including up to 2.5 million envenomations. Treatment with antivenom serum remains the only specific therapy for snakebite envenomation. However, it is heterologous and therefore liable to cause adverse reactions, such as early anaphylactic, pyrogenic and delayed reactions. In order to develop alternatives to the current therapy, researchers have been looking for natural products and plant extracts with antimyotoxic, anti-hemorrhagic and anti-inflammatory properties. Especially due to the role the physiopathological processes triggered by snake toxins, play in paralysis, bleeding disorders, kidney failure and tissue damage. Considering the fact that studies involving snake toxins and specific inhibitors, particularly on a molecular level, are the main key to understand neutralization mechanisms and to propose models or prototypes for an alternative therapy, this article presents efforts made by the scientific community in order to produce validated data regarding 87 compounds and plant extracts obtained from 79 species. These plants, which belong to 63 genera and 40 families, have been used by traditional medicine as alternatives or complements to the current serum therapy.
authors.forename: Cesar L S
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Guimaraes
authors.forename: Leandro S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Moreira-Dill
authors.forename: Renata S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Tassia R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Lorane I S
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Hage-Melim
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marcussi
authors.forename: Bruna M A
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Saulo L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Juliana P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zuliani
authors.forename: Carla F C
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Leonardo A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Calderon
authors.forename: Andreimar M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos de Biomoleculas Aplicadas a Saude, CEBio, Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ Rondonia, e Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Rondonia, UNIR, Porto Velho-RO, Brazil. andreimar@fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Rodrigo G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Stabeli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012909:Snake Bites / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012910:Snake Venoms / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012910:Snake Venoms