Peptidic products from exocrine secretions of venomous animals used as Chinese traditional 'worm' medicines

In Chinese traditional medicine, the term“'worms' medicines”(Chong Yao) historically refers to a broad category of small animal-derived remedies, encompassing, arthropods, amphibians, and reptiles, rather than the taxonomically narrow definition of worms. Many of these animals, such as scorpions, centipedes, toads, and horseflies, are poisonous. Despite their long history of therapeutic use, the pharmacological constituents and mechanisms of these 'worms' medicines remain largely unexplored. A particularly promising class of bioactive compounds found in these animals is peptides, with over 2,000 identified to date. These peptides are primarily derived from the exocrine secretions of specialized glands, including venom, skin, and salivary glands. They exhibit high specificity and immense diversity, enabling them to rapidly and potently target key physiological systems such as the nervous, cardiovascular, and immune systems. This makes them excellent candidates for drug discovery and development. This review, therefore, highlights the peptidic products derived from the exocrine secretions of venomous and poisonous animals used in Chinese traditional 'worm' medicines. We focus on elucidating the sources, structures, and biological activities of these peptides, emphasizing their significant potential as a rich and untapped resource for modern therapeutic agent development.