Snake venom: kill and cure

Abstract

Snake venom is a natural biological resource that contains several components, which are not only responsible for death but also have a potential therapeutic activity. The use of snake venom for medicinal purposes dates back to ancient times, now many drugs and clinical diagnostic kits have derived from components of snake venom. The scientists can extract, purify and identify new components of venom that may serve as starting point for structure–function relationship studies leading to design new medications. This review will highlight the activities of snake venoms and their components against cancer, microbes, parasitic infections and platelet aggregation.

Keywords:

• Snake venom
• anticancer agents
• anti-infective agents
• antiparasitic agents
• platelet aggregation inhibitors

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.