Venom peptides in association with standard drugs: a novel strategy for combating antibiotic resistance - an overview

Abstract Development of antibiotic resistance that leads to resurgence of bacterial infections poses a threat to disease-free existence for humankind and is a challenge for the welfare of the society at large. Despite research efforts directed towards treatment of pathogens, antibiotics within new improved classes have not emerged for years, a fact largely attributable to the pharmacological necessities compelling drug development. Recent reversion to the use of natural products alone or in combination with standard drugs has opened up new vistas for alternative therapeutics. The success of this strategy is evident in the sudden interest in plant extracts as additives/synergists for treatment of maladies caused by drug-resistant bacterial strains. Animal venoms have long fascinated scientists as sources of pharmacologically active components that can be exploited for the treatment of specific ailments and should be promoted further to clinical trials. In the present review, we outline the scope and possible methods for the applications of animal venoms in combination with commercial antibiotics to offer a better treatment approach against antibiotic-resistant infections.

抗生素耐药性的发展及其导致的细菌感染反弹，对人类的健康生活构成了威胁，并对社会的整体福祉提出了挑战。尽管针对病原体治疗的研究不断深入，但数年来未见新改进类别的抗生素问世，这一现象在很大程度上归因于推动药物开发的药理学需求。近期，仅使用或与标准药物联合使用天然产物的研究重新引发了人们对于替代疗法的关注。这一策略的成功在植物提取物作为耐药菌引起的疾病治疗添加剂/协同剂的突然兴趣中得到了体现。动物毒素长期以来一直是科学家们感兴趣的对象，因为它们是具有药理活性的成分的来源，可以用于特定疾病的治疗，并应进一步促进其进入临床试验。在本综述中，我们概述了动物毒素与商业抗生素结合应用的范围和可能的方法，以提供对抗生素耐药感染更优的治疗途径。