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Advances in Venom Research: Biological Activities, Therapeutic Potential, and Molecular Mechanism

A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 747

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Natural Toxins Research Center, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA
Interests: snake venom toxins; pathophysiology; recombinant proteins; molecular mechanisms of action; envenomation; proteomics; vascular permeability; extracellular vesicle; inflammatory responses; signaling pathways
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Laboratório de Imunologia Celular Aplicada à Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ-Rondônia, Porto Velho 76812-245, RO, Brazil
2. Departamento de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho 76801-059, RO, Brazil
Interests: snake venom toxins; pathophysiology; molecular mechanisms of action; envenomation; inflammatory responses; innate immunity; signaling pathways; inflammatory mediators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Venom research has significantly advanced our understanding of the biological activities and therapeutic potential of various animal venoms and toxins. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent breakthroughs and novel insights into the multifaceted roles of venom, in both natural and medical contexts. We invite researchers to submit original research articles, comprehensive reviews, short communications, and insightful perspectives that explore the diverse biological activities of animal venoms, including their molecular mechanisms, pharmacological and pathophysiological effects, and therapeutic potential.

Key topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Molecular and cellular mechanisms of venom action;
  • Novel venom-derived peptides and proteins with therapeutic potential;
  • Venom effects on human health and disease models;
  • Technological innovations in venom research and toxinology.

This Special Issue seeks to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and provide a platform for disseminating cutting-edge research that bridges the gap between basic science and clinical applications. By enhancing our understanding of venom components and their mechanisms of action, we aim to uncover new avenues for drug discovery and therapeutic interventions. We look forward to your contributions to this dynamic and impactful field of study.

Dr. Montamas Suntravat
Dr. Juliana Pavan Zuliani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • venoms
  • toxins
  • biological activities
  • therapeutic potential
  • molecular mechanism
  • venomous animals
  • pharmacological effects

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1375 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Purified Opharin Isolated from the Venom of King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) in Modulating Macrophage Inflammatory Responses and Vascular Integrity
by Tuchakorn Lertwanakarn, Armando Reyes, Emelyn Salazar, Martha Barrientos, Elda E. Sanchez and Montamas Suntravat
Toxins 2024, 16(12), 550; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16120550 - 19 Dec 2024
Viewed by 312
Abstract
King cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) venom comprises a diverse array of proteins and peptides. However, the roles and properties of these individual components are still not fully understood. Among these, Cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRiSPs) are recognized but not fully characterized. This study [...] Read more.
King cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) venom comprises a diverse array of proteins and peptides. However, the roles and properties of these individual components are still not fully understood. Among these, Cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRiSPs) are recognized but not fully characterized. This study investigates the biological effects of Opharin, the CRiSP from king cobra venom (KCV). The effects of Opharin on cytokine production, specifically on IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and IL-10 release, were evaluated over 24 h in monocyte-derived macrophage (MDM) cells. Notably, the levels of these inflammatory cytokines were significantly increased over 24 h, with values higher than those observed in cells treated with crude KCV at most time points. Additionally, the in vivo Miles assay in mice revealed that Opharin increased vascular permeability by 26% compared to the negative control group. These findings highlight the Opharin’s role in severe inflammatory and vascular responses observed in king cobra envenomation. Still, further research is essential to elucidate the pharmacological and toxicological effects of venom components, ultimately enhancing the clinical management of envenomation. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1
<p>Two-step purification of Opharin from crude KCV. (<b>A</b>) An RP-HPLC chromatogram revealed the fractionation of crude venom into 48 distinct fractions. Opharin was specifically detected in the 34th fraction (shaded), with an estimated molecular mass of 28 kDa, as verified by SDS-PAGE (upper panel). The green line demonstrates the gradient of the elution buffer. (<b>B</b>) Subsequent fractionation of the pooled 34th fraction (PF) using aIEX chromatography produced four subfractions. Opharin was identified within the first subfraction (shaded) and further confirmed through SDS-PAGE analysis (inset). The gray line represents the gradient of the elution buffer. M = protein marker.</p>
Full article ">Figure 2
<p>Evaluation of inflammatory cytokine production in MDM cells treated with saline (negative control), lipopolysaccharide (0.25 μg/mL; LPS, positive control), crude KCV (287 μg/mL), and Opharin (25 µg/mL). The release of inflammatory mediators, including (<b>A</b>) IL-1β, (<b>B</b>) IL-6, (<b>C</b>) IL-8, (<b>D</b>) TNF-α, and (<b>E</b>) IL-10, was quantified at various time points using ELISA. Results are expressed as mean ± SD, n = 4–6 per treatment (black dots). * <span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.05 compared to the negative control, Δ <span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.05 compared to LPS, and ξ <span class="html-italic">p</span> &lt; 0.05 compared to KCV.</p>
Full article ">Figure 3
<p>Assessment of in vivo vascular permeability in mice using the Miles assay. Mice received an intravenous injection of 100 μL of Evans blue dye, followed promptly by a subcutaneous injection of normal saline solution (NSS), VEGF-A (143 ng/mouse), or Opharin (163 ng/mouse). Results were assessed from five mice and are expressed as mean ± S.D.</p>
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