Irofulven or 6-hydroxymethylacylfulvene is an experimental antitumor agent. It belongs to the family of drugs called alkylating agents.
Ophanin is a toxin found in the venom of the King Cobra, which lives throughout South East Asia. This toxin belongs to the cysteine-rich secretory protein (CRISP) family. Ophanin weakly blocks the contraction of smooth muscles elicited by high potassium-induced depolarization, suggesting that it inhibits voltage-dependent calcium channels.
The Chinese red-headed centipede, also known as the Chinese red head, is a centipede from East Asia. It averages 20 cm (8 in) in length and lives in damp environments.
Iodoacetic acid is a derivative of acetic acid. It is a toxic compound, because, like many alkyl halides, it is an alkylating agent.
Carbonic anhydrase IX is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the CA9 gene. It is one of the 14 carbonic anhydrase isoforms found in humans and is a transmembrane dimeric metalloenzyme with an extracellular active site that facilitates acid secretion in the gastrointestinal tract. CA IX is overexpressed in many types of cancer including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) as well as carcinomas of the cervix, breast and lung where it promotes tumor growth by enhancing tumor acidosis.
Arenobufagin is a cardiotoxic bufanolide steroid secreted by the Argentine toad Bufo arenarum. It has effects similar to digitalis, blocking the Na+/K+ pump in heart tissue.
Faten Zahran Mohammed is an Egyptian biochemist and environmental biologist, cancer biologist and toxicologist known for her work on the anti-tumoral effects of snake venom and iodoacetate. She is currently Professor of Biochemistry at Zagazig University, Egypt, head of the Biochemistry Division, Faculty of Science, and a member of Egyptian Universities Promotion Committees "EUPC".
Cecropins are antimicrobial peptides. They were first isolated from the hemolymph of Hyalophora cecropia, whence the term cecropin was derived. Cecropins lyse bacterial cell membranes; they also inhibit proline uptake and cause leaky membranes.
Matrine is an alkaloid found in plants from the genus Sophora. It has a variety of pharmacological effects, including anti-cancer effects, as well as κ-opioid and μ-opioid receptor agonism.
Olivierus martensii is a species of scorpion in the family Buthidae. Its common names include Chinese scorpion, Manchurian scorpion, Chinese armor-tail scorpion and Chinese golden scorpion. Despite its common name, this scorpion is not only found in Manchuria or China, but also in Mongolia and Korea. The record from Japan is doubtful. Its preferred habitat is warm, dry areas with little vegetation. O. martensii can grow to about 6 centimetres (2.4 in) long, with females usually slightly larger, and has a life-span of about 4 to 6 years.
Raventoxins are neurotoxins from the venom of the spider Macrothele raveni.
Kidamycin is an anthracycline antibiotic with anticancer activity. It was first synthesized from a strain of streptomyces bacteria isolated from a soil sample. In clinical trials, Kindamycin showed high effect against gram positive bacteria as well as multiple cancer models including Ehrlich ascites carcinoma, Sarcoma 180, NF-sarcoma, and Yoshida sarcoma.
Titanocene Y also known as bis[(p-methoxybenzyl)cyclopentadienyl]titanium(IV) dichloride or dichloridobis(η5-(p-methoxybenzyl)cyclopentadienyl)titanium is an organotitanium compound that has been investigated for use as an anticancer drug.
Bufalin is a cardiotonic steroid toxin originally isolated from Chinese toad venom, which is a component of some traditional Chinese medicines.
Cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK) cells are a group of immune effector cells featuring a mixed T- and natural killer (NK) cell-like phenotype. They are generated by ex vivo incubation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or cord blood mononuclear cells with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), anti-CD3 antibody, recombinant human interleukin (IL)-1 and recombinant human interleukin (IL)-2.
AmmTX3, produced by Androctonus mauretanicus, is a scorpion toxin of the α-KTX15 subfamily. The toxin is known for its ability to act as a specific Kv4 channel blocker, and thereby reducing the A-type potassium current through this channel.
Ahmed Samy Khalifa was an Egyptian pediatric hematologist and oncologist. He established the specialty of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Ain Shams University. He treated thousands of children with thalassemia, leukemia and other hematologic and ontological diseases all over Egypt.
Ehrlich-Lettre ascites carcinoma (EAC) is also known as Ehrlich cell. It was originally established as an ascites tumor in mice.
Sarafotoxins (SRTXs) are a group of toxins present in the venom of Atractaspis engaddensis, and in clinical trials cause similar symptoms to patients diagnosed with acute giardiasis. Their etymology is from the name of the snake "שרף עין גדי" in Hebrew, pronounced "Saraf Ein Gedi". Together with endothelins (ETs), they form a homogenous family of strong vasoconstrictor isopeptides. Among them, a few slightly different substances can be named as SRTX-a, SRTX-b, SRTX-c, which were initially derived from A. engaddensis. Each one contains twenty-one amino acid residues that spontaneously fold into a defined tertiary structure, with two interchain-cysteine linkages and a long hydrophobic tail. There are also other compounds, however, they are mostly derivations of previously mentioned ones. The main differences in the family of endothelin and sarafotoxins appear at N-terminal of peptides, as C-terminal in all of them is almost the same.
Penicillin Roquefort Toxin is a mycotoxin produced by the fungi Penicillium roqueforti. In 1973, PR toxin was first partially characterized by isolating moldy corn on which the fungi had grown. Although its lethal dose was determined shortly after the isolation of the chemical, details of its toxic effects were not fully clarified until 1982 in a study with mice, rats, anesthetized cats and preparations of isolated rat auricles.
