Peptides are recognized as being highly selective, potent and relatively safe as potential
therapeutics. Peptides isolated from the venom of different animals satisfy most of these …

Nicotinic receptors—a family of ligand-gated ion channels that mediate the effects of the
neurotransmitter acetylcholine—are among the most well understood allosteric membrane …

Conopeptides are a diverse group of recently evolved venom peptides used for prey capture
and/or defense. Each species of cone snails produces in excess of 1000 conopeptides, with …

Peptide therapeutics are acclaimed as a promising addition to the pharmaceutical arena,
and they continue to attract interest due to their high potency, bioavailability, and fewer …

Ion channels play fundamental roles in both excitable and non-excitable tissues and
therefore constitute attractive drug targets for myriad neurological, cardiovascular and …

Cigarette smoke, which serves as a nicotine delivery vehicle in humans, produces profound
changes in physiology. Experimental studies suggest that nicotine has analgesic properties …

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are prototypical cation-selective, ligand-
gated ion channels that mediate fast neurotransmission in the central and peripheral …

Opioids are first-line drugs for moderate to severe acute pain and cancer pain. However,
these medications are associated with severe side effects, and whether they are efficacious …

There have been numerous attempts to develop non-opioid drugs for severe pain, but the
vast majority of these efforts have failed. A notable exception is Ziconotide (Prialt®) …

The venoms of the 700 species of predatory cone snails (genus Conus) are being
systematically characterized. Each Conus species contains 100–200 small, highly structured …