Anti-epileptic/pro-epileptic effects of sodium channel modulators from Buthus martensii Karsch

Sheng Li Xue Bao. 2022 Aug 25;74(4):621-632.

Abstract

The East Asian scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch (BmK) is one of the classical traditional Chinese medicines for treating epilepsy for over a thousand years. Neurotoxins purified from BmK venom are considered as the main active ingredients, acting on membrane ion channels. Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) play a crucial role in the occurrence of epilepsy, which make them become important drug targets for epilepsy. Long chain toxins of BmK, composed of 60-70 amino acid residues, could specifically recognize VGSCs. Among them, α-like neurotoxins, binding to the receptor site-3 of VGSC, induce epilepsy in rodents and can be used to establish seizure models. The β or β-like neurotoxins, binding to the receptor site-4 of VGSC, have significant anticonvulsant effects in epileptic models. This review aims to illuminate the anticonvulsant/convulsant effects of BmK polypeptides by acting on VGSCs, and provide potential frameworks for the anti-epileptic drug-design.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anticonvulsants / pharmacology
  • Anticonvulsants / therapeutic use
  • Neurotoxins / chemistry
  • Neurotoxins / pharmacology
  • Scorpion Venoms* / chemistry
  • Scorpion Venoms* / pharmacology
  • Scorpions / chemistry
  • Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels*

Substances

  • Anticonvulsants
  • Neurotoxins
  • Scorpion Venoms
  • Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels