Animal-Derived Venom Compounds for Cancer Prevention and Intervention
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 December 2025 | Viewed by 9
Special Issue Editors
Interests: medicinal plants; bioactive compounds; phytochemicals; phytochemistry; cancer; metabolism; metabolic disorders; pharmacology; inflammation; oxidative stress; cardiovascular diseases; neurodegenerative diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: inflammatory diseases; cardiovascular diseases; neurodegenerative diseases; inflammation; medicinal plants; oxidative stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you for your time in reading this Special Issue introduction; it will be an honor to receive and assess your manuscript.
In recent years, several animal-derived venom compounds have demonstrated promising anticancer properties and have been studied for their potential in various preclinical and clinical settings against different malignancies. Often, they demonstrate the ability to induce apoptosis, inhibit angiogenesis, or target specific cancer-related critical molecular pathways associated with cancer growth and spread. In this regard, bufadienolide compounds from toad venom have been used against liver, lung, breast, and hematological cancers because they inhibit Na+/K+-ATPase and have anti-proliferative effects. Melittin from bee venom disrupts cancer cell membranes, limits angiogenesis, and induces apoptosis, effective against breast, leukemia, and liver cancers. Contortrostatin from snake venom disrupts integrins, promotes anti-angiogenic effects, and is effective against breast cancer. Many other examples exist, and many other compounds from animal venoms express different anticancer potential and mechanisms of action. Therefore, this Special Issue will delve into monitoring and testing these animal-derived venom compounds against cancer via preclinical and clinical studies. We will also accept systematic and critical reviews, including meta-analyses, for assessment and possible publication.
We look forward to receiving your feedback and valuable submissions; your participation in this Special Issue will be key to its success.
Dr. Lucas Fornari Laurindo
Dr. Sandra Barbalho
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- animal-derived venom anticancer agents
- cancer prevention and intervention
- functional venom products in oncology
- natural product oncology
- toxin-derived drugs
- bioactive peptides in cancer
- venom-based therapeutics
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