Title
Cardiovascular-active venom toxins: An overview
Date Issued
01 May 2016
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Horta C.
Chatzaki M.
Rezende B.
De Freitas Magalhães B.
Duarte C.
Felicori L.
Oliveira-Mendes B.
Do Carmo A.
Kalapothakis E.
Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Publisher(s)
Bentham Science Publishers B.V.
Abstract
Animal venoms are a mixture of bioactive compounds produced as weapons and used primarily to immobilize and kill preys. As a result of the high potency and specificity for various physiological targets, many toxins from animal venoms have emerged as possible drugs for the medication of diverse disorders, including cardiovascular diseases. Captopril, which inhibits the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), was the first successful venom-based drug and a notable example of rational drug design. Since Captopril was developed, many studies have discovered novel bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs) with actions on the cardiovascular system. Natriuretic peptides (NPs) have also been found in animal venoms and used as template to design new drugs with applications in cardiovascular diseases. Among the anti-arrhythmic peptides, GsMTx-4 was discovered to be a toxin that selectively inhibits the stretch-activated cation channels (SACs), which are involved in atrial fibrillation. The present review describes the main components isolated from animal venoms that act on the cardiovascular system and presents a brief summary of venomous animals and their venom apparatuses.
Start page
603
End page
622
Volume
23
Issue
6
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Toxicología
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84962307695
PubMed ID
Source
Current Medicinal Chemistry
ISSN of the container
09298673
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus