Use of Snake Venom for Biomedical Researches and Drug Development

Accidents with venomous animals are a significant cause of global morbidity and mortality. Through the evolution, these animals have used their venomous apparatus for defence and prey capture. During the adaptation process in environment, several changes have occurred in snake venoms constitution. Nowadays, it is currently known that these animals are able to accumulate a mixture of different compounds that can produce from local damage (through) irreversible systemic alterations. Researches involving snake venom generally focus the discovery of a better understanding of: 1) the clinical aspects of human poisoning; 2) the mechanisms of action of venom toxins; 3) the prospection of toxins with therapeutic potential; 4) the development of biological tools for the diagnosis of several diseases; 5) and development of complementary alternatives to traditional anti-venom therapies.