Toxin-Targeted Pharmacology in Infectious Diseases: From Bacterial Virulence to Venom-Derived Therapeutics

Bacterial toxins and venom-derived bioactive compounds represent both key drivers of infectious disease pathology and underexplored sources of pharmacological innovation. Exotoxins and virulence-associated toxins disrupt host cell function and compromise tissue integrity, limiting the effectiveness of existing antimicrobial therapies in severe infections and making them critical targets for drug development. Bioactive molecules derived from animal venoms have shown high selectivity for ion channels, receptors, and enzymes, including targets implicated in host responses to infection and molecular scaffolds for antimicrobial peptide design. These properties make venom-derived compounds promising leads for novel anti-infective and immunomodulatory agents.Drug-resistant infections represent a growing global health burden, driving demand for therapeutic strategies that circumvent conventional resistance mechanisms. Recent preclinical advances in antitoxin small-molecule inhibitors and the computational mining of venom proteomes for antimicrobial peptides have moved both areas beyond early exploratory research into active translational programs.This Research Topic is focused specifically on the pharmacology of toxins and venom-derived molecules as both disease drivers and therapeutic leads. It centers on toxin-host interactions, antitoxin pharmacology, and the translational potential of venom-derived compounds in infectious disease, rather than pathogen-wide drug discovery or broad resistance mechanisms.We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, and Perspectives addressing:&#8226 Pharmacological mechanisms of bacterial toxin-mediated virulence and host damage&#8226 Target identification and drug discovery based on toxin-host interactions&#8226 Antitoxin agents: neutralizing antibodies, small-molecule inhibitors, and combination strategies&#8226 Venom-derived compounds as leads for anti-infective or immunomodulatory drug development&#8226 Pharmacological characterization of toxin components with relevance to infectious disease therapy&#8226 Structural and molecular studies directly informing toxin-targeted drug design&#8226 Translational and preclinical studies evaluating toxin-neutralizing or toxin-inspired therapeuticsEditorial Responsibility: Given that venom peptides and toxin-derived compounds often possess potent immunomodulatory, neurotoxic, or membrane-disruptive properties, Frontiers will implement dual-use research of concern (DURC) screening for all submitted manuscripts. This screening will assess whether methods sections reveal dangerous optimization pathways, whether antimicrobial efficacy claims are proportionate to toxicity risks, or whether published information could enable misuse pathways including pathogen delivery system enhancement, toxin engineering, or misapplication of potent biologically active compounds. While lower-risk than synthetic pathogen work, such considerations remain essential to responsible publication in this field. Topic editors: Benjamin-Florian Hempel, Saurabh Attarde, Kartik Sunagar Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81597/toxin-targeted-pharmacology-in-infectious-diseases-from-bacterial-virulence-to-venom-derived-therapeutics