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Marine Drugs
Special Issues
Conotoxins: Detection, Classification and Potential Therapeutic Benefits
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Conotoxins: Detection, Classification and Potential Therapeutic Benefits

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Toxins".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1848

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. David Adams

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI), University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Interests: acetylcholine nicotinic receptors; voltage-gated ion channels; venom peptides; conotoxins; structure-function relationship; electrophysiology; nociception
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Rilei Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Chinese Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China
Interests: bioactive marine peptide discovery; peptide drug design; ion channel; pain; peptide toxin; conotoxin; computer-aided drug design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, "Conotoxins: Detection, Classification, and Therapeutic Potential", invites contributions on the latest advancements in conotoxin research. It focuses on progress in detecting and classifying these potent peptides from marine cone snails, while highlighting their therapeutic potential in treating various diseases. We welcome studies that employ innovative analytical techniques, explore bioactivity profiles, and elucidate the mechanisms of action of conotoxins. This collection aims to connect marine peptide toxins with pharmaceutical applications, paving the way for novel therapeutic tools.

Prof. Dr. David Adams
Prof. Dr. Rilei Yu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • conotoxins
  • peptide therapeutics
  • targeting receptors
  • pharmacology
  • action mechanism
  • drug discovery
  • structure activity relationship
  • binding modes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2869 KiB  
Article
An Orthogonal Protection Strategy for the Synthesis of Conotoxins Containing Three Disulfide Bonds
by Hengyu Zhang, Lai Yue Chan, Huanhuan Zhang, Tao Jiang, David J. Craik, Wenqing Cai and Rilei Yu
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(4), 168; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23040168 - 14 Apr 2025
Viewed by 303
Abstract
Disulfide bonds are crucial for stabilizing bioactive peptides such as conotoxins. We have developed a method for synthesizing conotoxins with three disulfide bonds using Mob, Trt, and Acm protection groups for regionally selective synthesis. This approach enabled the efficient synthesis of peptides with [...] Read more.
Disulfide bonds are crucial for stabilizing bioactive peptides such as conotoxins. We have developed a method for synthesizing conotoxins with three disulfide bonds using Mob, Trt, and Acm protection groups for regionally selective synthesis. This approach enabled the efficient synthesis of peptides with the desired disulfide bond connectivities independent of their sequences. Using our strategy, we synthesized five conotoxins, achieving yields of 20–30%. The results demonstrate the potential of our method for synthesizing complex peptides with multiple disulfide bonds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conotoxins: Detection, Classification and Potential Therapeutic Benefits)
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21 pages, 4921 KiB  
Article
Preclinical Efficacy and Proteomic Prediction of Molecular Targets for s-cal14.1b and s-cal14.2b Conotoxins with Antitumor Capacity in Xenografts of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
by Angélica Luna-Nophal, Fernando Díaz-Castillo, Vanessa Izquierdo-Sánchez, Jesús B. Velázquez-Fernández, Mario Orozco-Morales, Luis Lara-Mejía, Johana Bernáldez-Sarabia, Noemí Sánchez-Campos, Oscar Arrieta, José Díaz-Chávez, Jorge-Ismael Castañeda-Sánchez, Alexei-Fedorovish Licea-Navarro and Saé Muñiz-Hernández
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23010032 - 10 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1196
Abstract
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare neoplasm with increasing incidence and mortality rates. Although recent advances have improved the overall prognosis, they have not had an important impact on survival of patients with MPM, such that more effective treatments are needed. Some [...] Read more.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare neoplasm with increasing incidence and mortality rates. Although recent advances have improved the overall prognosis, they have not had an important impact on survival of patients with MPM, such that more effective treatments are needed. Some species of marine snails have been demonstrated to be potential sources of novel anticancer molecules. This study analyzed the anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo of two peptides found in C. californicus. The effects of s-cal14.1b and s-cal14.2b on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cytotoxicity were evaluated in 2D and 3D cultures of MPM-derived cells. Proteomics analysis of 3D cultures treated with conotoxins was performed to examine changes in expression or abundance. And the therapeutic effects of both conotoxins were evaluated in MPM mouse xenografts. s-cal14.1b and s-cal14.2b induced apoptosis and cytotoxicity in 2D and 3D cultures. However, only s-cal14.1b modified spheroid growth. Approximately 600 proteins exhibited important differential expression, which was more heterogeneous in H2452 vs MSTO-211H spheroids. The in silico protein functional analysis showed modifications in the biological pathways associated with carcinogenesis. CAPN1, LIMA1, ANXA6, HUWE1, PARP1 or PARP4 proteins could be potential cell targets for conotoxins and serve as biomarkers in MPM. Finally, we found that both conotoxins reduced the tumor mass in MPM xenografts; s-cal14.1b reached statistical significance. Based on these results, s-cal14.1b and s-cal14.2b conotoxins could be potential therapeutic drugs for MPM neoplasms with no apparent side effects on normal cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conotoxins: Detection, Classification and Potential Therapeutic Benefits)
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