Table 2.
Overview of venom peptides reported to have anticancer activity and their mode of action.
| Target | Peptide | Organism | Mode of action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transient receptor potential ion channels | Tv1 | Terebra variegata | Calcium dependent apoptosis (6) |
| Cell membrane | Melittin | Apis mellifera | Cell membrane disruption and lysis, Caspase C dependent apoptosis, inhibits metastasis (105) |
| Vascular endothelial growth factor and fibroblast growth factor | Hemilipin | Hemiscorpus lepturus | Inhibits angiogenesis and expression of proangiogenic factors (106) |
| Chloride ion channels | Chlorotoxin | Leirus quiquestriatus | Inhibits EMT (72,73) |
| Cell membrane, cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix proteins | Smp24 | Scorpio maurus palmatus | Cell membrane destruction, inhibition of migration via interaction with F-actin a, alteration of MMP-2/9 and TIMP-1/2 protein expressions (71) |
| Sodium ion channels | rAGAP | Buthus martensii | Cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis via upregulation of Bax and downregulation of BCl-2 (107) |
| Cell membrane lysis | Mastoparan | Paravespula lewisii | Mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis (108,109) |
| Potassium ion channels | KAaH1, KAaH2 | Androctonus australis | Inhibits migration, adhesion, and proliferation (110) |
| Potassium ion channels | Iberiotoxin | Hottentotta tamulus | Inhibits migration, adhesion, and proliferation (110) |
| Calcium ion channels | PnTx3-6, PhTx3-3 | Phoneutria nigriventer | Inhibits proliferation and cell viability (110) |