Classification and application of proteins from snake venom

About 2.5 million people are bitten by snakes and more than 100 thousand died each year.As a natural biological resource,the snake venom contains several components with potential therapeutic values,and has been used in the treatment of a variety of diseases in traditional medicines.In this article,we described the snake venom components and their pharmacological mechanisms.The main biological effects during the envenomation process,and examples of snake venom molecules in commercial use were reviewed,especially for the peptides with antimicrobial activities.