Two new arthropod toxins purified from the venom of the Mexican scorpion Centruroides nigrescens

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  Two new arthropod toxins purified from the venom of the Mexican scorpion Centruroides nigrescens Abstract The venom of the slender black scorpion Centruroides nigrescens , from the State of Guerrero México, was fractionated by Sephadex G–50 gel filtration, followed by carboxymethyl cellulose ion separation and high–performance liquid chromatography, permitting to obtain two new peptides toxic to arthropods. The estimate LD 50 of the soluble venom for the insect Acheta domesticus was 11.1 μg/g body weight, and for the arthropod Armadillidium vulgare was 61.1 μg body weight . The amino acid sequence of toxin Cnige1 (toxic to A. domesticus and A. vulgare ) contains 65 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 7273.37 mass units, whereas toxin Cnige2, toxic to A. domesticus , contains 68 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 7548.81 units. Both peptides are well packed, containing 8 cysteines, which in the native venoms are forming 4 disulfide bridges each. The amino acid sequences f...

Scorpion venom as a source of new antimicrobial agents

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Scorpion venom as a source of new antimicrobial agents

Abstract

The escalating global threat of antimicrobial resistance necessitates urgent discovery of novel therapeutic agents. Scorpion venom, a complex cocktail of bioactive molecules, has emerged as a promising reservoir of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) with potent activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens. This review comprehensively examines the structural and functional diversity of scorpion-derived AMPs and their therapeutic potential. Scorpion venom AMPs exhibit remarkable structural heterogeneity. Their physicochemical properties, characterized by cationic charge, amphipathicity, and α-helical or β-sheet conformations, underpin their antimicrobial efficacy. These peptides demonstrate broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity encompassing Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Mechanistically, scorpion AMPs employ multifaceted strategies including membrane disruption through pore formation or carpet-like mechanisms, cell wall synthesis inhibition, intracellular interference with DNA replication and protein synthesis, biofilm dispersion, immunomodulation, and ion channel modulation. This polypharmacological approach has been proposed to lower the risk for resistance development relative to conventional antibiotics, though this remains to be comprehensively validated across diverse scorpion AMPs. Despite their therapeutic promise, challenges persist regarding cytotoxicity, proteolytic instability, and high production costs. However, rational engineering strategies, including sequence truncation, D-amino acid substitution, cyclization, and hybrid peptide design, are advancing clinical viability. Notable candidates have demonstrated exceptional potency in preclinical models. This review synthesizes current knowledge on scorpion venom AMPs, highlighting their advantages over traditional antibiotics and outlining optimization strategies. Future research directions emphasize structure–activity relationship studies, novel delivery systems, and comprehensive toxicological profiling. Scorpion venom represents an underexploited natural resource that may yield next-generation antimicrobial therapeutics critical for combating the growing threat of drug-resistant infections.

Zhang, Y., & Wu, R. (2026). Scorpion venom as a source of new antimicrobial agents. Frontiers in Microbiology, 17, 1816327. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1816327