Anticancer peptides

There is a series of cationic peptides that are capable of altering the electrical environment of the cell, disrupting it physiologically and causing the death of the cell as a result of affecting the pathways within the cells. The mechanisms of these peptides in altering the cell membrane are two fold. The first mechanism can may involve the peptide's interaction with the ion transport proteins of the cell. The second mechanism involves formation of ion channels per se (Kourie and Shorthouse, 2000). These peptides are available in nature and come from exotic creatures such as scorpions to bees and amphibians like frogs. I figure that targeting the electrical environment of cancer cells that result in their death might be one of the strategies in developing therapeutics against cancer.

Citations
Kourie, J.I. & Shorthouse, A.A. Properties of cytotoxic peptide-formed ion channels. Am J Cell Physio 2000 Jun; 278(6): C1063 - 87.