The therapeutic potential of Brazilian snake toxins and clinical research for the development of new drugs

Abstract

Introduction The Ophidic Accident or Ophidism is characterized by the poisoning due to the bite or bite of snakes. These accidents with humans represent a serious public health problem for the tropical and subtropical regions of developing countries. Objective: Since the molecules found in poisons are excellent research tools to discover new medicines, especially in effective pharmaceutical treatment, this work aimed to discuss the pharmaceutical importance of the main ophidic toxins evaluated in clinical research for drug production and anti -antiphidic serums and identify in literature potential compounds present in the poison of Brazilian snakes for the creation of new drugs. Method: The work used the integrative literature review method. Results: Based on the data obtained after the search and selection of the articles, the analysis of the results showed, statistically, that there was a significant increase in scientific publications in relation to the study and exploitation of ophidic toxins from Brazilian snakes. On the other hand, over the years, few clinical trials have been carried out with these molecules to test their pharmacological potential, such as safety and efficacy tests to allow the implementation of new drugs on the market. With regard to Cochrane, the basis of the Central Registry of Controlled Trials, since 1990, ten clinical studies were found involving snake toxins from Brazilian snakes, of which only six were carried out in Brazil, and among the snake toxins most used in clinical trials are those of the venom of the Genus Bothrops and Crotalus. About the Clinicaltrials.Gov database, four clinical trials related to ophidic toxins from Brazilian snakes were found, none of which were carried out in Brazil. Regarding the Scielo database, no clinical study on the subject was found. About the Pubmed database, few publications were found with the descriptors used since many were associated with variations and clinical manifestations in humans from the inoculation of Brazilian snake venoms. However, of the 14 found, 6 articles presented possible innovative aspects for the application of toxins in pharmaceutical industries. Finally, the search in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) displayed scientific articles with innovative themes that contribute to biotechnological advances in the field of toxicology based on the evaluation of different snake toxins from the main genera of snakes found in Brazil. Conclusion: Brazilian snake venoms are a rich source of bioactive molecules containing peptides, proteins, and enzymes with important pharmacological activities. It is evident that these compounds have a great therapeutic potential, but still far from being adequately explored. When analyzing the results found in all databases surveyed, there is a higher prevalence of academic studies of basic pharmacology focused on the characterization and/or exploration of snake molecules and few Phase I, II or III clinical studies for the development of drugs or products potentially subject to registration with regulatory agencies. Although snake venoms have been the focus of investigation in several countries, in Brazil, little clinical research was found with snake toxins. Despite this, there is a recent interest in toxicology and technological advances in this field. A possible solution to the lack of investment in this area would be multidisciplinary international collaboration between research centers and industries to produce antivenoms and new drugs.