Snake Venom Toxins Targeted at the Nervous System

Osipov, Alexey V.; Utkin, Yuri N.

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-6410-1_23

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…The toxins displaying enzymatic activities, such as hydrolases, phosphodiesterases, and phospholipases, are known for converging actions towards prey immobilization and the subsequent intake and digestion. These enzymatic toxins may be either promiscuous or highly specific with regard to their molecular targets (2). However, the effects of these neuroactive compounds are not confined to the somatic nervous system, thus affecting behavior and other functions by crossing the blood-brain barrier and, as a consequence, these toxins are able to reach the central nervous system (CNS) (2).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These enzymatic toxins may be either promiscuous or highly specific with regard to their molecular targets (2). However, the effects of these neuroactive compounds are not confined to the somatic nervous system, thus affecting behavior and other functions by crossing the blood-brain barrier and, as a consequence, these toxins are able to reach the central nervous system (CNS) (2). Furthermore, neuroactive compounds have a potent curarimimetic action on peripheral cholinergic transmission (14).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of the global incidence, developing new and efficient drugs is worth the effort, as the therapeutic arsenal currently available either displays delayed effects or shows no response in many cases of anxiety and depression (1). Therefore, venoms may represent a rich source of promising molecules, which includes neuroactive compounds and polypeptides (2).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Behavioral effects of Bj-PRO-7a, a proline-rich oligopeptide from Bothrops jararaca venom

Turones

Cruz

Camargo-Silva

et al. 2019

Braz J Med Biol Res

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The heptapeptide Bj-PRO-7a, isolated and identified from Bothrops jararaca (Bj) venom, produces antihypertensive and other cardiovascular effects that are independent on angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition, possibly relying on cholinergic muscarinic receptors subtype 1 (M1R). However, whether Bj-PRO-7a acts upon the central nervous system and modifies behavior is yet to be determined. Therefore, the aims of this study were: i) to assess the effects of acute administration of Bj-PRO-7a upon behavior; ii) to reveal mechanisms involved in the effects of Bj-PRO-7a upon locomotion/exploration, anxiety, and depression-like behaviors. For this purpose, adult male Wistar (WT, wild type) and spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) received intraperitoneal injections of vehicle (0.9% NaCl), diazepam (2 mg/kg), imipramine (15 mg/kg), Bj-PRO-7a (71, 213 or 426 nmol/kg), pirenzepine (852 nmol/kg), α-methyl-DL-tyrosine (200 mg/kg), or chlorpromazine (2 mg/kg), and underwent elevated plus maze, open field, and forced swimming tests. The heptapeptide promoted anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects and increased locomotion/exploration. These effects of Bj-PRO-7a seem to be dependent on M1R activation and dopaminergic receptors and rely on catecholaminergic pathways.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Behavioral effects of Bj-PRO-7a, a proline-rich oligopeptide from Bothrops jararaca venom

Turones

Cruz

Camargo-Silva

et al. 2019

Braz J Med Biol Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Many toxin proteins were found in snake venom, such as phospholipases A 2 , cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISP), α-dendrotoxins, β-dendrotoxins and γ-dendrotoxins which could interact with nervous system or molecules in nervous system ( 1 , 2 ). Scientists have also obtained some venomous proteins, for example, three finger α-neurotoxins (α-3FNTx) and acetylcholine esterase proteins, which target motion system of prey and cause paralysis ( 3 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deep-STP: a deep learning-based approach to predict snake toxin proteins by using word embeddings

Zulfiqar,

Guo,

Ahmad

et al. 2024

Front. Med.

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Snake venom contains many toxic proteins that can destroy the circulatory system or nervous system of prey. Studies have found that these snake venom proteins have the potential to treat cardiovascular and nervous system diseases. Therefore, the study of snake venom protein is conducive to the development of related drugs. The research technologies based on traditional biochemistry can accurately identify these proteins, but the experimental cost is high and the time is long. Artificial intelligence technology provides a new means and strategy for large-scale screening of snake venom proteins from the perspective of computing. In this paper, we developed a sequence-based computational method to recognize snake toxin proteins. Specially, we utilized three different feature descriptors, namely g-gap, natural vector and word 2 vector, to encode snake toxin protein sequences. The analysis of variance (ANOVA), gradient-boost decision tree algorithm (GBDT) combined with incremental feature selection (IFS) were used to optimize the features, and then the optimized features were input into the deep learning model for model training. The results show that our model can achieve a prediction performance with an accuracy of 82.00% in 10-fold cross-validation. The model is further verified on independent data, and the accuracy rate reaches to 81.14%, which demonstrated that our model has excellent prediction performance and robustness.

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“…Due to the multiple vital functions of most ion channels, molecules targeting these channels can interfere with and impair fundamental physiological mechanisms. This is something that venomous creatures take advantage of by producing toxins that have evolved specifically to target ion channels, aiding in prey capture and protection against predators ( Osipov and Utkin, 2017 ). A vast array of venom toxins has been identified to interact with both voltage-gated and ligand-gated ion channels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From squid giant axon to automated patch-clamp: electrophysiology in venom and antivenom research

Ahmadi,

Benard-Valle,

Boddum

et al. 2023

Front. Pharmacol.

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Ion channels play a crucial role in diverse physiological processes, including neurotransmission and muscle contraction. Venomous creatures exploit the vital function of ion channels by producing toxins in their venoms that specifically target these ion channels to facilitate prey capture upon a bite or a sting. Envenoming can therefore lead to ion channel dysregulation, which for humans can result in severe medical complications that often necessitate interventions such as antivenom administration. Conversely, the discovery of highly potent and selective venom toxins with the capability of distinguishing between different isoforms and subtypes of ion channels has led to the development of beneficial therapeutics that are now in the clinic. This review encompasses the historical evolution of electrophysiology methodologies, highlighting their contributions to venom and antivenom research, including venom-based drug discovery and evaluation of antivenom efficacy. By discussing the applications and advancements in patch-clamp techniques, this review underscores the profound impact of electrophysiology in unravelling the intricate interplay between ion channels and venom toxins, ultimately leading to the development of drugs for envenoming and ion channel-related pathologies.

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Snake Venom Toxins Targeted at the Nervous System

Cited by 4 publications

References 53 publications

Behavioral effects of Bj-PRO-7a, a proline-rich oligopeptide from Bothrops jararaca venom

Behavioral effects of Bj-PRO-7a, a proline-rich oligopeptide from Bothrops jararaca venom

Deep-STP: a deep learning-based approach to predict snake toxin proteins by using word embeddings

From squid giant axon to automated patch-clamp: electrophysiology in venom and antivenom research

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