Targeting Snake Venom Metalloproteinases with Natural Compounds: A Systematic Review of Mechanism and Experimental Evidence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31004/joecy.v6i1.8916Keywords:
snakebite, snake venom metalloproteinase, SVMP inhibitor, natural compounds, systematic reviewAbstract
Snakebite envenomation remains a major public health problem in tropical regions, with local tissue damage largely mediated by snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs). Conventional antivenom therapy shows limited effectiveness against these local effects, prompting interest in complementary therapies derived from natural products. This study is a systematic literature review that evaluates the inhibitory effects of natural compounds against SVMP activity. The literature search was conducted using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Garuda databases, focusing on experimental in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies published within the last 15 years. From the screened articles, six studies met the inclusion criteria and consistently demonstrated that plant-derived secondary metabolites, particularly flavonoids, tannins, and phenolic compounds, effectively inhibited SVMP-related activities such as hemorrhage, proteolysis, edema, and tissue necrosis. The inhibitory mechanisms were mainly associated with zinc chelation, direct binding to catalytic domains, and structural destabilization of SVMPs. These findings indicate that natural SVMP inhibitors have strong potential as complementary therapeutic agents to reduce local tissue damage following snakebite envenomation
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