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Melanoma is particularly common among Caucasians, especially in northwestern Europeans who live in sunny places. There are high rates of this disease in Oceania, North America, Europe, South Africa and Latin America. This geographic pattern correlates with the primary cause: exposure to ultraviolet light in combination with the amount of skin pigmentation in the population.
Treatment varies according to the stage in which the melanoma is. The gold standard involves removal of the primary tumor by excisional biopsy and is applicable only to the early stages of the disease. If it is detected and removed early, when it is still small and thin, then the likelihood of recovery is high.
The likelihood of it returning or spreading depends on how deeply it has invaded the skin layers. For recurring or spreading melanomas, treatments include chemotherapy, immune checkpoint modulator therapy, and/or radiation therapy.
The study Snake venom, a potential treatment for melanoma. A systematic review, published in the International journal of biological macromolecules, told: "Despite advances in treating patients with melanoma, there are still many treatment challenges to overcome.
Studies with snake venom-derived proteins/peptides describe their binding potential, and inhibition of some proliferative mechanisms in melanoma. The combined use of these compounds with current therapies could be the strategic gap that will help us discover more effective treatments for melanoma.The present study aimed to carry out a systematic review identifying snake venom proteins and peptides described in the with antitumor, antimetastatic, or antiangiogenic effects on melanoma and determine the mechanisms of action that lead to these anti-tumor effects.Snake venoms contain proteins and peptides which are antiaggregant, antimetastatic, and antiangiogenic.
The in vivo results are encouraging, considering the literature reduction of metastases and tumor size after treatment.In addition to these results, it was reported that these venom compounds could act in combination with chemotherapeutics (Acurhagin-C; Macrovipecetin), sensitizing and preparing tumor cells for treatment.
There is a consensus that snake venom is a promising strategy for the improvement of antimelanoma therapies, but it has been little explored in the current context, combined with inhibitors, immunotherapy or tumor microenvironment, for example. We suggest Lebein as a candidate for combination therapy with BRAF inhibitors."
