THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF SNAKE VENOM

Abstract

Annually 2.5 million people are bitten by snakes, more than 100,000 fatally. In India a large no of people suffer and die every year due to snake venom poisoning. Venom has been used in the treatment of a variety of pathophysiological conditions in Ayurveda, homeopathy and folk medicine. Snake venom is a natural biological resource, containing a complex mixture of enzymes, peptides and protein of low molecular weight with specific chemical and biological activities. Majorly it evolved a vast array of peptide toxins for prey capture and defense. These peptides act like an invaluable source of ligands by acting upon a wide variety of pharmacological targets. Snake venom contains several neurotoxic, cardiotoxic, cytotoxic, nerve growth factor, lectins, haemorrhagins, disintigrins, and many other different enzymes. These proteins not only responsible for death to humans and animals, but can also be used for the treatment of thrombosis, cancer, HIV, arthritis, against microbes, anti-viral and many other diseases. With the advent of biotechnology, the efficacy of such treatments has been substantiated by purifying components of venom and delineating their therapeutic properties. This review will focus on certain snake venom components and their applications in health and disease.