Antitumor activity of scorpion venom-derived peptides: A meta-analysis of preclinical studies

Despite advances in cancer therapeutics, there are still challenges in improving drug toxicity and selectivity. Peptides from various venous species have recently garnered attention for their biopharmaceutical potential, particularly in cancer. The present study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of the antitumor activity of scorpion venom-derived peptides (SVDPs) previously reported in preclinical models. The bibliographic research included original and review articles written in English published from 2015 to 2026. Studies within the scope were retrieved from the EBSCO Discovery Service, PubMed, and WIPO databases. A total of 27 articles that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in this research, and the collected data were synthesized through a meta-analysis. In the included in vitro and in vivo studies, the effect of SVDPs on breast/mammary gland, cervical, colon, glioblastoma, liver, lung, oral, or prostate cancer cell lines was reported. The meta-analyses indicated that SVDPs affected cancer cells by reducing cell viability, with a greater effect on lung cancer cells (IC₅₀ pooled mean: 12.69 μM; 95% CI: 5.80-19.57). Additionally, SVDPs induce early apoptosis (SMD: 5.11; 95% CI: 2.54-7.68), and reduce tumor volume in animal models (SMD = -7.29; 95% CI: -12.73- -1.85). Furthermore, the peptides modulated the key oncogenic pathways, including caspase-mediated apoptosis, autophagy, the cell cycle, PI3K/AKT, EGFR/RAS/RAF, and MAPK signaling, by regulating altered proteins and genes in cancer cells. In addition, this review highlights promising outcomes and discusses the mechanistic knowledge gaps to inform future research directions.