Animal toxins as analgesics--an overview.

Pain is a multidimensional sensory experience, and multiple mechanisms are involved in the generation of pathophysiological nociceptive pain. Identification of the mechanisms and molecular components responsible for pain generation has not only advanced our understanding of pain and its control, but has also led to the selection of new targets for designing novel analgesic drugs. The high selectivity and specificity of animal toxins have enabled their use as potential therapeutics in the treatment of pain and candidates for the development of new analgesic drugs. This review focuses on the use of animal toxins for pain control and examines the possible analgesic mechanisms of these molecules.