title: Animal venoms as antimicrobial agents.
abstract: Hospitals are breeding grounds for many life-threatening bacteria worldwide. Clinically associated gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus/methicillin-resistant S. aureus and many others increase the risk of severe mortality and morbidity. The failure of antibiotics to kill various pathogens due to bacterial resistance highlights the urgent need to develop novel, potent, and less toxic agents from natural sources against various infectious agents. Currently, several promising classes of natural molecules from snake (terrestrial and sea), scorpion, spider, honey bee and wasp venoms hold promise as rich sources of chemotherapeutics against infectious pathogens. Interestingly, snake venom-derived synthetic peptide/snake cathelicidin not only has potent antimicrobial and wound-repair activity but is highly stable and safe. Such molecules are promising candidates for novel venom-based drugs against S. aureus infections. The structure of animal venom proteins/peptides (cysteine rich) consists of hydrophobic α-helices or β-sheets that produce lethal pores and membrane-damaging effects on bacteria. All these antimicrobial peptides are under early experimental or pre-clinical stages of development. It is therefore important to employ novel tools for the design and the development of new antibiotics from the untapped animal venoms of snake, scorpion, and spider for treating resistant pathogens. To date, snail venom toxins have shown little antibiotic potency against human pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Venom and Toxin Research Programme, Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUHS, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597; Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUHS, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117597; Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS Immunology Programme, Centre for Life Sciences, National University of Singapore, 28 Medical Drive, Singapore 117456. Electronic address: phsrp@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Ramar
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perumal Samy
authors.affiliation: Integrated Toxicology Division, US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5011, USA; Department of Biology, Wilson College, 1015 Philadelphia Avenue, Chambersburg, PA 17201, USA.
authors.forename: Bradley G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Stiles
authors.affiliation: Centro de Análises Proteômicas e Bioquímicas/Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Genômicas e Biotecnologia, UCB, Brasília, DF, Brazil; Sinova Biotech, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Octavio L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117600.
authors.forename: Gautam
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sethi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS Immunology Programme, Centre for Life Sciences, National University of Singapore, 28 Medical Drive, Singapore 117456; NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456.
authors.forename: Lina H K
authors.initials: LHK
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods; D014688:Venoms / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D014688:Venoms
keywords: Antibiotics; Multi-drug resistant; Peptides; Snake cathelicidin; Snake venom proteins; Wound healing