Title:Animal Venom Peptides: Potential for New Antimicrobial Agents
Volume: 17
Issue: 10
Author(s): Muriel Primon-Barros and Alexandre José Macedo
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Microbial infections, Venoms, Antimicrobial peptides, Antibacterial, Antiprotozoal, Antifungal, Antiviral, Hemolytic
activity.
Abstract: Microbial infections affect people worldwide, causing diseases with significant impact on
public health, indicating the need for research and development of new antimicrobial agents. Animal
venoms represent a vast and largely unexploited source of biologically active molecules with attractive
candidates for the development of novel therapeutics. Venoms consist of complex mixtures of molecules,
including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Since the discovery of AMPs, they have been studied
as promising new antimicrobial drugs. Amongst the remarkable sources of AMPs with known antimicrobial
activities are ants, bees, centipedes, cone snails, scorpions, snakes, spiders, and wasps. The antimicrobial
tests against bacteria, protozoans, fungi and viruses using 170 different peptides isolated
directly from crude venoms or cDNA libraries of venom glands are listed and discussed in this review,
as well as hemolytic ativity. The potential of venoms as source of new compounds, including AMPs, is
extensively discussed. Currently, there are six FDA-approved drugs and many others are undergoing
preclinical and clinical trials. The search for antimicrobial “weapons” makes the AMPs from venoms
promising candidates.
