Snake venom toxins in cancer therapy: advances in targeted delivery and peptide design
8 affiliations
- 1Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, 83, M. Ulughbek Street, 100125 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- 2Pharmaceutical Technical University, Tashkent BioPharmaCity, 1 Bogzor Street, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- 3Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, CAS, 528400 Zhongshan, China
- 4Tashkent State Medical University, 2, Farabiy Street, 100109 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- 5National University of Uzbekistan, 4, Universitet Street, 100174 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- 6Kimyo International University, 156, Rustaveli Street, 100121 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- 7Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, 40-1 Beijing Road, 830011 Urumqi, China
- 8National Biopharmaceutical Research Institute, Tashkent BioPharmaCity, 1 Bogzor Street, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Abstract
Snake venom represents a potent biological arsenal of cytotoxic compounds. Venom proteins and peptides, including disintegrins, venomous enzymes, three-finger toxins, and serine proteases, have garnered attention as effective anticancer agents. Despite their efficacy at nano- or micromolar concentrations, non-standardized mixtures often limit their therapeutic utilization, necessitating fractionation to minimize side effects. This review examines the antitumor potential of snake venom and its constituent proteins and peptides through a literature search in NCBI PubMed. We highlight the antitumor efficacies of venom polypeptides by correlating them with IC50 values across various cell lines, demonstrating micromolar cytotoxic concentrations. The review encompasses several key areas: whole venom antitumor efficacy, mechanisms of action of individual proteins and peptides, fractionation and purification methods, cytotoxic effects of low molecular weight peptides, and delivery system approaches utilizing peptide sequences as cell-penetrating mechanisms alongside liposomes and nanoparticles for enhanced polypeptide toxicity. Given that cilengitide contains an RGD sequence analogous to disintegrins and targets integrins, we provide a dedicated analysis of its anticancer potential and clinical trial outcomes. Clinical evidence indicates the necessity for further investigation into the synergistic effects of cilengitide with established chemotherapeutic agents. The scientific data reviewed demonstrate that antimetastatic properties constitute the most extensively studied mechanism of venom polypeptides. This review underscores the therapeutic promise of venom-derived polypeptides while emphasizing the critical need for advanced delivery systems and rigorous clinical validation to translate these findings into viable cancer therapeutics.
Graphical Abstract:
Related
- Occurrence and Dietary Exposure Assessment of Patulin and Major Alternaria Toxins in Commercial Infant Fruit Purées from Italian and Spanish Markets Using Targeted Analysis and Suspect Screening.
- Mechanisms of inflammatory cell activation in periodontitis-induced bone destruction and advances in targeted interventions
- Aptamer-Targeted PLGA Nanoparticles for Biofilm-Directed Intra-articular Antibiotic Delivery in Prosthetic Joint Infection
- Glaucoma neurodegeneration: targeted modulation of intraocular immune pathways – a review of novel therapeutic advances
- Kidney-Targeted Gene Transfer: Therapeutic Advances in Native Kidney Disease and Emerging Ex Vivo Allograft Engineering.
BibTeX
@article{asrorov2026snake,
title = {{Snake venom toxins in cancer therapy: advances in targeted delivery and peptide design}},
author = {Akmal M. Asrorov and Matluba Mirzaeva and Muzaffar Kayumov and Shamsiddin Fazliddinov and Khamza S. Toshov and Okhunjon Khasanov and Gulnora Rakhmonova and Ahmidin Wali and Hayotbek A. Abdullaev and Nurkhodja Mukhamedov},
journal = {Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal : SPJ},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s44446-026-00116-9},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s44446-026-00116-9},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Snake venom toxins in cancer therapy: advances in targeted delivery and peptide design
AU - Akmal M. Asrorov
AU - Matluba Mirzaeva
AU - Muzaffar Kayumov
AU - Shamsiddin Fazliddinov
AU - Khamza S. Toshov
AU - Okhunjon Khasanov
AU - Gulnora Rakhmonova
AU - Ahmidin Wali
AU - Hayotbek A. Abdullaev
AU - Nurkhodja Mukhamedov
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal : SPJ
DO - 10.1007/s44446-026-00116-9
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s44446-026-00116-9
AB - Snake venom represents a potent biological arsenal of cytotoxic compounds. Venom proteins and peptides, including disintegrins, venomous enzymes, three-finger toxins, and serine proteases, have garnered attention as effective anticancer agents. Despite their efficacy at nano- or micromolar concentrations, non-standardized mixtures often limit their therapeutic utilization, necessitating fractionation to minimize side effects. This review examines the antitumor potential of snake venom and its constituent proteins and peptides through a literature search in NCBI PubMed. We highlight the antitumor efficacies of venom polypeptides by correlating them with IC50 values across various cell lines, demonstrating micromolar cytotoxic concentrations. The review encompasses several key areas: whole venom antitumor efficacy, mechanisms of action of individual proteins and peptides, fractionation and purification methods, cytotoxic effects of low molecular weight peptides, and delivery system approaches utilizing peptide sequences as cell-penetrating mechanisms alongside liposomes and nanoparticles for enhanced polypeptide toxicity. Given that cilengitide contains an RGD sequence analogous to disintegrins and targets integrins, we provide a dedicated analysis of its anticancer potential and clinical trial outcomes. Clinical evidence indicates the necessity for further investigation into the synergistic effects of cilengitide with established chemotherapeutic agents. The scientific data reviewed demonstrate that antimetastatic properties constitute the most extensively studied mechanism of venom polypeptides. This review underscores the therapeutic promise of venom-derived polypeptides while emphasizing the critical need for advanced delivery systems and rigorous clinical validation to translate these findings into viable cancer therapeutics. Graphical Abstract:
SN - 1319-0164
SN - 2213-7475
ER -