Snake Venom Components as Therapeutic Drugs in Ischemic Heart Disease

Abstract

Ischemic heart disease (IHD), especially myocardial infarction (MI), is a leading cause of death worldwide. Although coronary reperfusion is the most straightforward treatment for limiting the MI size, it has nevertheless been shown to exacerbate ischemic myocardial injury. Therefore, identifying and developing therapeutic strategies to treat IHD is a major medical challenge. Snake venoms contain biologically active proteins and peptides that are of major interest for pharmacological applications in the cardiovascular system (CVS). This has led to their use for the development and design of new drugs, such as the first-in-class angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril, developed from a peptide present in Bothrops jararaca snake venom. This review discusses the potential usefulness of snake venom toxins for developing effective treatments against IHD and related diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. It describes their biological effects at the molecular scale, their mechanisms of action according to their different pharmacological properties, as well as their subsequent molecular pathways and therapeutic targets. The molecules reported here have either been approved for human medical use and are currently available on the drug market or are still in the clinical or preclinical developmental stages. The information summarized here may be useful in providing insights into the development of future snake venom-derived drugs.

The Identification of a Novel Spider Toxin Peptide, Lycotoxin-Pa2a, with Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

“…The main functional properties of animal venom include neurotoxic, antimicrobial, antifungal, immunomodulatory, and wound-healing properties [14][15][16][17]. Various efforts have been made to utilize venomous components for therapeutic purposes, including Captopril originating from the Bothrops jararaca snake and conotoxins from cone snails [18][19][20]. Thus, animal venom can serve as a valuable platform for discovering novel therapeutic agents and molecular probes [21,22].…”