Abstract.
Snake envenomation is a socio-medical problem of considerable magnitude. About 2.5 million people are bitten by snakes annually, more than 100,000 fatally. However, although bites can be deadly, snake venom is a natural biological resource that contains several components of potential therapeutic value. Venom has been used in the treatment of a variety of pathophysiological conditions in Ayurveda, homeopathy and folk medicine. With the advent of biotechnology, the efficacy of such treatments has been substantiated by purifying components of venom and delineating their therapeutic properties. This review will focus on certain snake venom components and their applications in health and disease.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Received 6 July 2006; received after revision 14 August 2006; accepted 28 September 2006
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Koh, D.C.I., Armugam, A. & Jeyaseelan, K. Snake venom components and their applications in biomedicine. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 63, 3030–3041 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-006-6315-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-006-6315-0