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© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

A global strategy, under the coordination of the World Health Organization, is being unfolded to reduce the impact of snakebite envenoming. One of the pillars of this strategy is to ensure safe and effective treatments. The mainstay in the therapy of snakebite envenoming is the administration of animal-derived antivenoms. In addition, new therapeutic options are being explored, including recombinant antibodies and natural and synthetic toxin inhibitors. In this review, snake venom toxins are classified in terms of their abundance and toxicity, and priority actions are being proposed in the search for snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP), phospholipase A2 (PLA2), three-finger toxin (3FTx), and serine proteinase (SVSP) inhibitors. Natural inhibitors include compounds isolated from plants, animal sera, and mast cells, whereas synthetic inhibitors comprise a wide range of molecules of a variable chemical nature. Some of the most promising inhibitors, especially SVMP and PLA2 inhibitors, have been developed for other diseases and are being repurposed for snakebite envenoming. In addition, the search for drugs aimed at controlling endogenous processes generated in the course of envenoming is being pursued. The present review summarizes some of the most promising developments in this field and discusses issues that need to be considered for the effective translation of this knowledge to improve therapies for tackling snakebite envenoming.

Details

Title
The Search for Natural and Synthetic Inhibitors That Would Complement Antivenoms as Therapeutics for Snakebite Envenoming
Author
Gutiérrez, José María 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Laura-Oana Albulescu 2 ; Clare, Rachel H 2 ; Casewell, Nicholas R 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Mohamed Abd El-Aziz, Tarek 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Escalante, Teresa 1 ; Rucavado, Alexandra 1 

 Facultad de Microbiología, Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501, Costa Rica; [email protected] (T.E.); [email protected] (A.R.) 
 Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK; [email protected] (L.-O.A.); [email protected] (R.H.C.); [email protected] (N.R.C.) 
 Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Minia University, El-Minia 61519, Egypt; [email protected]; Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA 
First page
451
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20726651
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2554722396
Copyright
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.