UNAM
Revista Digital Universitaria
Revista Digital Universitaria ISSN: 1607 - 6079 | Publicación mensual | 1 de noviembre de 2014 vol.15, No.11

ABSTRACT

The venom of marine snails and its paradoxical medical use



Luis Martínez Hernández, Estuardo López Vera y Manuel B. Aguilar Ramírez


Organisms that inhabit oceans have drawn the attention of pharmaceutical institutions in recent decades, due to structural and functional characteristics of the toxins that constitute the venoms that some of these organisms synthesize. Marine snails of the genus Conus are one of these groups of organisms that have the capacity to synthesize molecules that specifically interact with ion channels and receptors. Advantage has been taken of this characteristic for the treatment of various diseases of which, it has been documented the involvement of certain types of membrane proteins responsible for the pathogenesis and progression in humans. For these reasons, there are several conotoxins and conopeptides in preclinical and clinical trials. However, ω-conotoxin MVIIA (Ziconotide) isolated from Conus magus is the best known because of its usefulness for the treatment of neuropathic pain in patients with cancer and AIDS.



Keywords: Conotoxins, ion channels, receptors, pain, neurodegenerative disorders