From Animal Poisons and Venoms to Medicines: Achievements, Challenges and Perspectives in Drug Discovery

Bordon, Karla de Castro Figueiredo; Cologna, Camila Takeno; Fornari-Baldo, Elisa Corrêa; Pinheiro-Júnior, Ernesto Lopes; Cerni, Felipe Augusto; Amorim, Fernanda Gobbi; Anjolette, Fernando Antonio Pino; Cordeiro, Francielle Almeida; Wiezel, Gisele Adriano; Cardoso, Iara Aimê; Ferreira, Isabela Gobbo; Oliveira, Isadora Sousa de; Boldrini-França, Johara; Pucca, Manuela Berto; Baldo, Mateus Amaral; Arantes, Eliane Candiani

doi:10.3389/fphar.2020.01132

Cited by 199 publications

(154 citation statements)

References 275 publications

(315 reference statements)

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“…In contrast, Eupolyphaga and Scorpio were used only in clinical studies, and bufalin, bee venom, and snake venom were used only in preclinical studies. This is because Bufonis Venenum, bee venom, and snake venom are animal-derived toxins that can cause serious side effects, including death [ 22 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ], and thus have not been traditionally used to treat endometriosis and benign disease. Although these three animal venoms have recently been reported to exert proapoptotic [ 52 , 53 , 54 ] and anti-inflammatory effects [ 55 , 56 ], there has been no clinical evidence of their benefit in endometriosis treatment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hirudo is the dried entire body of Whitmania pigra Whitman, Hirudo nipponica Whitman, or W. acranulata Whitman, and is a representative toxic animal-based medicinal material that has been used since the beginning of civilization. It has the efficacy of “breaking blood and expelling stasis”, and there is historical evidence of its use in the treatment of endometriosis [ 22 , 57 , 58 ]. However, it is difficult to confirm the effectiveness of Hirudo against endometriosis, as there were no studies examining only Hirudo.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These findings are supported by other experimental studies. Hirudo has been revealed to have anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, bacteriostatic, and analgesic effects [ 22 , 59 ]. Hirudo is also known to inhibit tumor angiogenesis by improving the tumor hypoxia microenvironment, reducing the mRNA and protein expression of HIF-1α, and contributing to the downregulation of VEGF mRNA expression [ 60 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Animal toxins include “poison”, which is produced by specialized cells or tissues and transmitted via ingestion or contact, and “venom”, which is produced in tissues or organs and delivered parenterally via specialized apparatus such as stingers, teeth, and nematocysts. [ 22 ]. Animal poisons and venoms are composed of different classes of molecules, and they contain abundant proteins, peptides, and neurotransmitters [ 21 , 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[ 22 ]. Animal poisons and venoms are composed of different classes of molecules, and they contain abundant proteins, peptides, and neurotransmitters [ 21 , 22 ]. Although our understanding of the complexity of animal toxins is still limited, recent studies have shown that animal toxins can be developed as cancer treatments because of their ability to inhibit cell growth, inhibit angiogenesis, and induce apoptosis [ 23 , 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Toxic Animal-Based Medicinal Materials Can Be Effective in Treating Endometriosis: A Scoping Review

Hwang

Yoon

Sung

et al. 2021

Toxins

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Animal toxins and venoms have recently been developed as cancer treatments possessing tumor cell growth-inhibitory, antiangiogenesis, and proapoptotic effects. Endometriosis is a common benign gynecological disorder in reproductive-age women, and no definite treatment for this disorder is without severe side effects. As endometriosis and malignant tumors share similar characteristics (progressive, invasive, estrogen-dependent growth, and recurrence), animal toxins and venoms are thought to be effective against endometriosis. The objective of this study was to outline studies using toxic animal-based medicinal materials (TMM) as endometriosis treatment and to explore its clinical applicability. Preclinical and clinical studies using TMM were searched for in four databases from inception to October 2020. A total of 20 studies of TMM on endometriosis were included. In eight clinical studies, herbal medicines containing TMM were effective in relieving symptoms of endometriosis, with no side effects. In twelve experimental studies, the main therapeutic mechanisms of TMM against endometriosis were proapoptotic, antiangiogenesis, estrogen level-reducing, and possible anti-inflammatory effects. TMM are thus considered promising sources for the development of an effective treatment method for endometriosis. Further studies are needed to clarify the therapeutic mechanism of TMM against endometriosis and to provide sufficient grounds for clinical application.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Toxic Animal-Based Medicinal Materials Can Be Effective in Treating Endometriosis: A Scoping Review

Hwang

Yoon

Sung

et al. 2021

Toxins

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Advances in the Archaeological Study of Invertebrate Animals and Their Products

Mannino

Thomas

2023

Handbook of Archaeological Sciences

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Cellular Nanosponges for Biological Neutralization

Wang

Duan

et al. 2022

Advanced Materials

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In viral infections, viral particles attach themselves to the host cell membrane for invasion, hijacking host cell machinery to replicate. [9,10] In order to counteract these threats, biological neutralization represents a general strategy that deploys therapeutic agents to bind with the harmful molecules or pathogens, block their bioactivity, and thus prevent them from causing the diseases. [11][12][13][14] Therapeutic platforms, such as antisera, monoclonal antibodies, and small-molecule inhibitors, have been widely used for neutralization. [15][16][17][18][19] Despite their pivotal roles in treating numerous diseases, these platforms sometimes show inadequate efficacy. The reason is attributable, in part, to their design of focusing on the causative molecules or pathogens, which leads to narrow-spectrum neutralization solutions. For example, some antidotes are highly effective in treating poisoning, but most deadly toxicants do not have specific pharmacological antidotes. [12] In inflammatory disorders, existing agents neutralizing one or a few cytokines are insufficient to halt or reverse disease progression due to the multiplicity of cytokine targets and signaling network redundancy. [20] In bacterial infections, bacterial toxins display enormous diversity of molecular structures and epitopic targets. [21,22] In contrast, current neutralizing agents target specific toxin structures and require customized design for different toxins, making their wide applications impractical. Similarly, viral neutralization focuses heavily on specific viral species and therefore cannot be deployed across different species or families of viruses or may be rendered ineffective as the virus accumulates mutations and escapes treatments. [23] Overall, these challenges underscore the need for innovative biological neutralization approaches.Recently, the emergency of cell-membrane-coated nanoparticles offers a unique solution to address the challenges facing current biological neutralization technologies. [24] These nanoparticles are made by first deriving natural cell membranes and then coating them onto synthetic cores. Cell-membranecoated nanoparticles were first developed by coating red blood cell (RBC) membranes onto polymeric cores. [25] The goal was to replicate the long-circulation feature of natural RBCs desirable for drug delivery. However, the success of these biomimetic nanoparticles soon sparked the idea of using them as decoys of susceptible RBCs for biological neutralization. [26] All pathological agents must interact with host cells for their bioactivity.Biological neutralization represents a general strategy that deploys therapeutic agents to bind with harmful molecules or infectious pathogens, block their bioactivity, and thus prevent them from causing the diseases. Here, a comprehensive review of using cell-membrane-coated nanoparticles, namely "cellular nanosponges," as host decoys for a wide range of biological neutralization applications is provided. Compared to traditional neutralization strategies, the cellu...

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From Animal Poisons and Venoms to Medicines: Achievements, Challenges and Perspectives in Drug Discovery

Cited by 199 publications

References 275 publications

Toxic Animal-Based Medicinal Materials Can Be Effective in Treating Endometriosis: A Scoping Review

Toxic Animal-Based Medicinal Materials Can Be Effective in Treating Endometriosis: A Scoping Review

Advances in the Archaeological Study of Invertebrate Animals and Their Products

Cellular Nanosponges for Biological Neutralization

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