title: Snake venom toxins: toxicity and medicinal applications.
abstract: Snake venoms are complex mixtures of small molecules and peptides/proteins, and most of them display certain kinds of bioactivities. They include neurotoxic, cytotoxic, cardiotoxic, myotoxic, and many different enzymatic activities. Snake envenomation is a significant health issue as millions of snakebites are reported annually. A large number of people are injured and die due to snake venom poisoning. However, several fatal snake venom toxins have found potential uses as diagnostic tools, therapeutic agent, or drug leads. In this review, different non-enzymatically active snake venom toxins which have potential therapeutic properties such as antitumor, antimicrobial, anticoagulating, and analgesic activities will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease for Allergy, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Nanhai Ave 3688, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Yau Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Randy Chi Fai
authors.initials: RCF
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease for Allergy, School of Medicine, Shenzhen University, Nanhai Ave 3688, 518060, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. xialixin@126.com.
authors.forename: Lixin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. b1115990@mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Jack Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. b021770@mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Tzi Bun
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. chanwy@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Wai Yee
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D012910:Snake Venoms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012911:Snakes
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000925:Anticoagulants; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins; D012910:Snake Venoms
keywords: Snake; Therapeutic; Toxin; Venom