title: Antiviral activity of animal venom peptides and related compounds.
abstract: Viruses exhibit rapid mutational capacity to trick and infect host cells, sometimes assisted through virus-coded peptides that counteract host cellular immune defense. Although a large number of compounds have been identified as inhibiting various viral infections and disease progression, it is urgent to achieve the discovery of more effective agents. Furthermore, proportionally to the great variety of diseases caused by viruses, very few viral vaccines are available, and not all are efficient. Thus, new antiviral substances obtained from natural products have been prospected, including those derived from venomous animals. Venoms are complex mixtures of hundreds of molecules, mostly peptides, that present a large array of biological activities and evolved to putatively target the biochemical machinery of different pathogens or host cellular structures. In addition, non-venomous compounds, such as some body fluids of invertebrate organisms, exhibit antiviral activity. This review provides a panorama of peptides described from animal venoms that present antiviral activity, thereby reinforcing them as important tools for the development of new therapeutic drugs.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxinology, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900 Brazil.
authors.forename: Élida Cleyse Gomes
authors.initials: ÉC
authors.lastname: da Mata
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxinology, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900 Brazil.
authors.forename: Caroline Barbosa Farias
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Mourão
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxinology, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900 Brazil ; Laboratory of Immunopathology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP 05508-900 Brazil.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rangel
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Toxinology, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, DF 70910-900 Brazil.
authors.forename: Elisabeth Ferroni
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Schwartz
keywords: Amphibian venom; Antiretroviral agents; Antiviral agents; HIV; Insect venom; Marine animal peptides; Scorpion venom; Snake venom