Toxinologic and pharmacological investigation of venomous arthropods

Abstract

Arthropods comprise the largest group of living animals, including thousands of species that inhabit marine and terrestrial niches in the biosphere. Among the major groups of terrestrial arthropods, several classes contain venomous species, such as arachnids (scorpions and spiders), hymenopterans (ants, bees, and wasps), and chilopods (centipedes). Many have well-developed venom apparatus and rich blends of toxins in their venoms used successfully for self-defense and prey capture [1]. Some of them are harmful to humans, and even today, they cause many poisoning incidents worldwide [2–4]. Today, the arthropod venoms are recognized sources of bioactive compounds’ chemical diversity and structural richness and, consequently, possess an unlimited potential for drug discovery and pharmacological application of their components. Arthropod venoms contain peptides and proteins as principal components and small organic molecules (e.g., biogenic amines and polyamines), which may synergistically disrupt the physiological circuit of victims or prey. Thus, the chemical and pharmacological investigation of arthropod venoms has been one of the significant aspects of Toxinology that have made it possible for a prospective molecular pharmaceutical intervention to treat, for example, chronic pain [5], immunological [6,7] and neurological disorders [8,9], and infections caused by multi-drug-resistant microbes [...].