Biologically Active Peptides from Venoms: Applications in Antibiotic Resistance, Cancer, and Beyond

Abstract

Peptides are potential therapeutic alternatives against global diseases, such as antimicrobial-resistant infections and cancer. Venoms are a rich source of bioactive peptides that have evolved over time to act on specific targets of the prey. Peptides are one of the main components responsible for the biological activity and toxicity of venoms. South American organisms such as scorpions, snakes, and spiders are important producers of a myriad of peptides with different biological activities. In this review, we report the main venom-derived peptide families produced from South American organisms and their corresponding activities and biological targets.

Keywords: South America; antimicrobial peptides; cancer; neurotoxins; venom.

Figure 1

Families of venom-derived peptides from South American organisms. Schematic representation of the venom producers from South America and main peptide families found in their venoms, such as β-defensins (e.g., crotamine), cathelicidins (e.g., crotalicidine), ICK peptides (e.g., psalmotoxin 1), α-toxins (e.g., Ts1), β-toxins (e.g., Ts3), mastoparans, and chemotactic peptides (e.g., polybia-CP). This figure was created with BioRender.com.