Therapeutic effect and potential application of scorpion venom peptide

Abstract

Scorpions has been existing on earth for hundreds of million years, and its venoms are mostly highly toxic and presents a deadly threat to people around the world. Scorpion venoms are highly complicated cocktails of bioactive components including proteins, amino acids, peptides, and other organic or inorganic molecules. Among them, the main active components are bioactive peptides called neurotoxins. Advancements in research on the toxic mechanisms of common scorpion toxins has found various therapeutic properties of several peptides on a large variety of diseases including different types of cancer and infections. Therefore, scorpion venoms may not only be a threat, but also a valuable source of novel drug components, especially therapeutic peptides. This research gives a brief introduction on scorpions and the components of its venoms, and focuses on presenting current knowledge on the medical effects of neurotoxins in scorpion venom, and potentials applications of the peptides in drug development.