Past, Present, and Future of Naturally Occurring Antimicrobials Related to Snake Venoms

Abstract

This review focuses on proteins and peptides with antimicrobial activity because these biopolymers can be useful in the fight against infectious diseases and to overcome the critical problem of microbial resistance to antibiotics. In fact, snakes show the highest diversification among reptiles, surviving in various environments; their innate immunity is similar to mammals and the response of their plasma to bacteria and fungi has been explored mainly in ecological studies. Snake venoms are a rich source of components that have a variety of biological functions. Among them are proteins like lectins, metalloproteinases, serine proteinases, L-amino acid oxidases, phospholipases type A2, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, as well as many oligopeptides, such as waprins, cardiotoxins, cathelicidins, and β-defensins. In vitro, these biomolecules were shown to be active against bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses that are pathogenic to humans. Not only cathelicidins, but all other proteins and oligopeptides from snake venom have been proteolyzed to provide short antimicrobial peptides, or for use as templates for developing a variety of short unnatural sequences based on their structures. In addition to organizing and discussing an expressive amount of information, this review also describes new β-defensin sequences of Sistrurus miliarius that can lead to novel peptide-based antimicrobial agents, using a multidisciplinary approach that includes sequence phylogeny.

Identification of an Antimicrobial Peptide from the Venom of the Trinidad Thick-Tailed Scorpion Tityus trinitatis with Potent Activity against ESKAPE Pathogens and Clostridioides difficile

“…A report commissioned by the UK government noted that roughly 700,000 people die annually from infections caused by MDR and XDR bacteria, a figure projected to increase to 10 million deaths per year by 2050 [ 21 ]. Consequently, new antimicrobials are desperately needed, and natural products, such as compounds from plants [ 39 , 40 ], amphibian skin secretions [ 41 ], and snake venoms [ 42 ], represent a potentially underutilized resource in this regard. This study has identified a peptide present in scorpion venom (TtAP-1) with high potency against a range of clinically relevant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria including ESKAPE pathogens ( Table 4 ).…”

A Review of Rattlesnake Venoms

“…One previous work reported some selective dose-dependent antimicrobial activities of omwaprin, a WAP isolated from Oxyuranus microlepidotus , through membrane disruption mechanisms [ 224 ]. On the other hand, previously reported nawaprin does not show any antibacterial activity nor does it act as protease inhibitor, a role that whey acidic proteins usually fill [ 223 , 225 ]. Limited information about WAP’s physiological functions and potential biomedical applications may warrant further research.…”

Toxins from Animal Venoms as a Potential Source of Antimalarials: A Comprehensive Review

“…Animal venoms are a complex mixture that contains many proteins, enzymes, peptides, and small molecules [ 86 , 87 ]. Depending on the taxonomic group, the toxins present in venoms have different modes of action and can be used for defense against predators and pathogens in the environment [ 88 , 89 , 90 ]. It is known that animal venoms have a range of molecules with antimicrobial properties, thus making them an important resource for the investigation of compounds with antimalarial potential [ 90 ].…”

“…It is a drug used to control blood pressure whose active ingredient was isolated from the venom of the snake Bothrops jararaca [ 102 ]. It is known that several species present toxins that are mainly derived from proteins that have antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic characteristics [ 90 ].…”