Toxins are an extremely complex group of compounds with high activity and diverse origin. They can be small proteins, molecules, or peptides and that are capable of causing disease, when they are absorption and on contact with by body tissues interacting with biological
Toxins are an extremely complex group of compounds with high activity and diverse origin. They can be small proteins, molecules, or peptides and that are capable of causing disease, when they are absorption and on contact with by body tissues interacting with biological macromolecules such as cellular receptors or enzymes. Toxins vary greatly in their toxicity, ranging from usually minor (such as a bee sting) to almost immediately deadly (such as botulinum toxin). Toxin could range from trace amounts of potentially dangerous pesticides, to food ingredients such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), table sugar, and aspartame, to supposedly harmful substances produced in the body by intestinal fermentation (auto-intoxication).
Toxins have been shown to have many biological functions and constitute a rich source of drugs and biotechnological tools. Toxins not only have a specific activity, but also contain residues responsible for transmembrane penetration, which can be considered bioportides - a class of cell-penetrating peptides that are also intrinsically bioactive. Toxins have traditionally focused on their primary pharmacological