Animal toxins — Nature’s evolutionary-refined toolkit for basic research and drug discovery

Abstract

Venomous animals have evolved toxins that interfere with specific components of their victim's core physiological systems, thereby causing biological dysfunction that aids in prey capture, defense against predators, or other roles such as intraspecific competition. Many animal lineages evolved venom systems independently, highlighting the success of this strategy. Over the course of evolution, toxins with exceptional specificity and high potency for their intended molecular targets have prevailed, making venoms an invaluable and almost inexhaustible source of bioactive molecules, some of which have found use as pharmacological tools, human therapeutics, and bioinsecticides. Current biomedically-focused research on venoms is directed towards their use in delineating the physiological role of toxin molecular targets such as ion channels and receptors, studying or treating human diseases, targeting vectors of human diseases, and treating microbial and parasitic infections. We provide examples of each of these areas of venom research, highlighting the potential that venom molecules hold for basic research and drug development.

It Takes Two: Dimerization Is Essential for the Broad-Spectrum Predatory and Defensive Activities of the Venom Peptide Mp1a from the Jack Jumper Ant Myrmecia pilosula

“…Antimicrobial peptides with membrane-disrupting and cytolytic activities, including those from animal venoms, have previously been shown to be antiparasitic [ 15 ]. However, very few studies have reported venom peptides with activity against nematode parasites [ 29 , 30 ], and none from ants. H. contortus is a highly virulent gastrointestinal ruminant that shows widespread drug-resistance [ 31 ], and recent reports of its multidrug resistance [ 32 ] have highlighted the need for new treatments.…”

Where are all the anthelmintics? Challenges and opportunities on the path to new anthelmintics

“…We recommend that there is better communication and expectation management around natural product discovery and the drug development process, particularly regarding regulatory requirements, to manage the observed lack of follow-up. Nonetheless, the identification of numerous anthelmintic compounds from a variety of plants and even more unusual natural resources, such as funnel-web spider venoms ( Nixon et al, 2019 ; Herzig et al, 2020 ) and marine organisms ( Mayer et al, 2009 ), may because for optimism that the next ivermectin is out there.…”

An Economic Dilemma between Molecular Weapon Systems May Explain an Arachno-Atypical Venom in Wasp Spiders (Argiope bruennichi)

“…This evolutionary streamlining often results in high selectivity and target-specific bioactivity, meaning that animal venoms are now considered valuable bioresources in the field of drug discovery [7]. Several blockbuster drugs have been derived from venom components [7], but they were also investigated as research tools, cosmetics, industrial enzymes or bioinsecticides [8][9][10][11].…”