Exogenous Procoagulant Factors as Therapeutic and Biotechnological Tools

A diversity of animal venoms and secretions has been described to affect the hemostatic system with actions on blood coagulation and fibrinolytic pathways. These biological materials are rich sources of proteins and peptides with distinct biochemical properties, which have a biological function for the animal. Snake venoms are one of the richest sources of exogenous hemostatic factors, especially procoagulant proteins. Insects are another important source of proteins and peptides targeting the hemostatic system. Exogenous procoagulant factors have a large functional diversity and present potential applications in health and biotechnology. They have been important tools for the diagnosis and therapy of several blood coagulation disorders. Recently, many studies have pointed out that exogenous hemostatic factors can also display non-hemostatic functions, bringing new perspectives for the study of these molecules.