Peçonhas de serpentes do gênero Bothrops como potencial fonte de fármacos que atuam na hemostasia sanguínea

Abstract

The snake is considered a mysterious figure in various cultures, and its venom has a long history of use in Pharmacology. In recent decades, science has explored the properties of this biological material to identify promising molecules for therapeutic purposes. Snakes of the Bothrops genus have been extensively studied due to their medical significance. In cases of envenomation, their venom can cause local and systemic effects, including hemostatic disorders leading to blood incoagulability and bleeding. However, the bioactive components in the venom of these animals may be useful as therapeutic agents. Therefore, a literature review was conducted, following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, focusing on articles that evaluated the biological activity of toxins isolated from Bothrops species with clinical potential in hemostasis. The search took place in PubMed, MEDLINE, LILACS, and SciELO databases, using MeSH terms such as "Bothrops," "Therapeutic Uses," "Drug Effect," "Hemostasis," and "Coagulation." Through this search strategy, 508 scientific articles were identified, of which 90 met the inclusion criteria, experimentally demonstrating hemostatic effects of toxic constituents in Bothrops venom. Exclusions were made for articles that did not cover the topic, were not experimental, were overly broad (not addressing therapeutic potential, focusing on toxins as inhibitors in antivenom therapies, or solely on the pathophysiology of envenomation), were inconclusive in indicating whether the isolated toxin was responsible for a specific activity, or lacked available material. The compilation revealed approximately 74 molecules within classes such as phospholipases A2 (PLA2), metalloproteinases (SVMPs), serine proteinases (SVSPs), L-amino acid oxidases (LAAOs), disintegrins, and C-type lectins (CTLs). The findings highlighted the vast potential of snake venom components from the Bothrops genus for developing new drugs. Different components in the venom demonstrated hemostatic effects, acting on various stages of hemostasis as anticoagulants, antiplatelets, thrombolytics, or coagulation inducers. However, the crucial discussion lies in converting these substances into clinically viable medications, with a disparity between toxinological studies emphasizing the therapeutic potential of animal venoms and the limited availability of such medications in the market. The final resolution is that drugs developed from snake venoms show great promise, but there are numerous challenges in the bioprospecting of venoms.