ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Antibacterial properties of snake venom components

Aleksandra Bocian and Konrad K. Hus

Rzeszow University of Technology, Rzeszow, Poland

E-mail: bocian@prz.edu.pl

Abstract: An increasing problem in the field of health protection is the emergence of drug-resistant and multi-drug-resistant bacterial strains. They cause a number of infections, including hospital infections, which currently available antibiotics are unable to fight. Therefore, many studies are devoted to the search for new therapeutic agents with bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties. One of the latest concepts is to search for this type of substances among toxins produced by venomous animals. In this approach, however, special attention is paid to snake venom because it contains molecules with antibacterial properties. Thorough investigations have shown that the phospholipases A₂ (PLA₂) and l-amino acids oxidases (LAAO), as well as fragments of these enzymes, are mainly responsible for the bactericidal properties of snake venoms. Some preliminary research studies also suggest that fragments of three-finger toxins (3FTx) are bactericidal. It has also been proven that some snakes produce antibacterial peptides (AMP) homologous to human defensins and cathelicidins. The presence of these proteins and peptides means that snake venoms continue to be an interesting material for researchers and can be perceived as a promising source of antibacterial agents.

Keywords: Snake venom ; Phospholipases A₂ ; l-Amino acid oxidases ; Antimicrobial properties 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-019-00939-y

Chemical Papers 74 (2) 407–419 (2020)