MILITARY POTENTIAL OF BIOLOGICAL NEUROTOXINS

Abstract

Toxins are produced by thousands of living species for increasing their chance of survival by modifying the physiology of other species. They are used either for defense or predation. They vary in their structural complexities ranging from formic acid used by ants to the multimillion Dalton protein toxins produced by several bacteria. All the most poisonous, fastest-acting toxins are neurotoxins. They specifically affect the nervous system of animals, including humans, by interfering with nerve impulse transmission. There are four major components of the nervous system on which these neurotoxins generally act, namely, ion channels, acetylcholine receptors, synaptic vesicle peptides, and acetylcholine esterase. Six different receptor sites on the sodium channel have been described on which some of the biological neurotoxins act. Different protein and nonprotein neurotoxins, their structure, source, targets, and mode of action are discussed in view of the current developments. These neurotoxins have gained increasing significance as potential candidates for weaponization. They are generally more lethal than microbial pathogens, causing incapacitation or death within minutes or hours. Despite extensive studies on the physiology and structure of these neurotoxins; appropriate detection systems for most of these toxins are lacking. Many of these toxins cause serious illnesses, showing overlapping clinical signs and symptoms. This makes specific and timely diagnosis extremely difficult in the absence of a suitable analytical system. Among several applications of these neurotoxins, their use as therapeutic agents for various disorders are remarkable. Many more neurotoxins remain to be explored.

Keywords: :

• Toxins
• Neurotoxins.