From venom to drugs: a review and critical analysis of Indian snake venom toxins envisaged as anticancer drug prototypes

Abstract

The limitations and adverse effects of current anticancer therapies have prompted the exploration for novel and relatively safer anticancer drugs from natural sources. India has a rich diversity of venomous snake fauna and, over the past two decades, several studies have demonstrated the anticancer potential of Indian snake venoms and their isolated components in cancer cell lines and animal tumor models. Nevertheless, anticancer drug prototypes derived from Indian snake venoms are not currently clinically available. In this review, we discuss the anticancer potential of Indian snake venoms toxins, and provide a critical analysis of the associated investigations for the successful development of candidate venom toxins as anticarcinogenic drug prototypes in clinical settings.