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Review
. 2020 May 15;12(5):326.
doi: 10.3390/toxins12050326.

Scorpion Toxins and Ion Channels: Potential Applications in Cancer Therapy

Rosa Amalia Dueñas-Cuellar  1   2   3 , Carlos José Correia Santana  1   2 , Ana Carolina Martins Magalhães  1 , Osmindo Rodrigues Pires Jr  1 , Wagner Fontes  2 , Mariana S Castro  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Scorpion Toxins and Ion Channels: Potential Applications in Cancer Therapy

Rosa Amalia Dueñas-Cuellar et al. Toxins (Basel). .

Abstract

Apoptosis, a genetically directed process of cell death, has been studied for many years, and the biochemical mechanisms that surround it are well known and described. There are at least three pathways by which apoptosis occurs, and each pathway depends on extra or intracellular processes for activation. Apoptosis is a vital process, but disturbances in proliferation and cell death rates can lead to the development of diseases like cancer. Several compounds, isolated from scorpion venoms, exhibit inhibitory effects on different cancer cells. Indeed, some of these compounds can differentiate between healthy and cancer cells within the same tissue. During the carcinogenic process, morphological, biochemical, and biological changes occur that enable these compounds to modulate cancer but not healthy cells. This review highlights cancer cell features that enable modulation by scorpion neurotoxins. The properties of the isolated scorpion neurotoxins in cancer cells and the potential uses of these compounds as alternative treatments for cancer are discussed.

Keywords: apoptosis; cancer; cell death; ion channels; scorpion toxins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main steps involved in apoptosis: extrinsic, intrinsic and intrinsic endoplasmic reticulum pathways.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scorpion neurotoxins and their biological effects in cancer cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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