Peptide Toxins—Discovery, Mechanisms of Action, and Therapeutic Potential
A special issue of Toxins (ISSN 2072-6651). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Venoms".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 1838
Special Issue Editors
Interests: spider peptide toxin; bioinsecticide; voltage-gated sodium channels; NaChBac; mammalian NaVs; peptide toxin; pharmacology
Interests: spider peptide toxin; bioinsecticide; voltage-gated sodium channels; NaChBac; mammalian NaVs; peptide toxin; pharmacology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of Toxins titled "Peptide Toxins—Discovery, Mechanisms of Action, and Therapeutic Potential". This issue will explore the diverse and fascinating world of peptide toxins derived from various organisms, with a particular focus on those from animal venoms. These bioactive peptides have been extensively studied as antimicrobial agents, ion channel modulators, and enzyme inhibitors, serving as essential pharmacological tools for probing biological processes and developing novel therapeutic strategies.
Despite their immense potential, peptide toxin research faces multiple challenges, including difficulties in purification, identification, synthesis, functional validation, and SAR (structure–activity relationship) elucidation. Recent advancements in transcriptomics, peptidomics, structural biology, synthetic biology, and computational approaches, such as machine learning-assisted function prediction and high-throughput screening, are driving rapid progress in this field. Moreover, elucidating the evolutionary origins of peptide toxins and their ecological roles can provide crucial insights into their mechanisms of action and biomedical applications.
This Special Issue aims to comprehensively cover all aspects of peptide toxin research, including novel discovery, structural and functional characterization, molecular mechanisms, biotechnological applications, and therapeutic development. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that contribute to advancing our understanding of peptide toxins and their potential applications in medicine and biotechnology.
We look forward to your contributions!
Prof. Dr. Mingqiang Rong
Dr. Cheng Tang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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 double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxins 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 2700 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
- peptide toxins
- action mechanisms
- pharmacological tool
- drug candidates
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