employed by certain fish species. Hydrogen Peroxide Formation Notably, because of its potential in relevant antimicrobial, anti-tumor cell, and/or consumption of amino acids, the interest of researching sv-LAAOs has begun to grow. Many authors have investigated the mechanism of antibacterial action of sv-LAAO. It is well established that sv-LAAO kills and breaks down bacteria by the H2O2 that is produced as a result of the oxidation reaction occurring in the surrounding environment. In one case study, it was reported that the sv-LAAO (isolated from C. durissus cascavella venom) caused the rupture of bacteria membranes while promoting extravasation, or leakage, of plasmatic contents out of the cellular structure. They argued that the amount of hydrogen peroxide generated was sufficient to inhibit bacterial growth, and that the ability of the enzyme to bind to bacterial membranes is not important in its antibacterial activity. Disease Relevance Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular disease can present itself in many different forms, from cardiomyopathy to peripheral arterial disease, and heart disease remains a key threat to human health. While there are means of therapy to both prevent and cure cardiovascular diseases, many drugs are unavailable for clinical use due to severe side effects in addition to high toxicity levels. However, in the past decade, sv-LAAOs have shown promise in affecting platelet aggregation. It has been proposed that hydrogen peroxide is considered to play a significant role regarding the enzymes ability to both cause and prevent this platelet aggregation. With this knowledge, it appears that sv-LAAOs could be evaluated as a potential cardiovascular disease therapeutic because of their biological potency. Venom-Induced Pathology As a consequence of the numerous activities the enzyme participates in, it could be deduced that there is likely some enzymatic function regarding the complex network of venom toxin activities. However, the role of sv-LAAOs in venom-induced pathology has not reported to be sufficiently assessed. Evolution By virtue of its antibacterial properties, it has been speculated that sv-LAAOs are in part responsible for the maintenance and stabilization of both the venom and venom gland in snake species. References Further reading See also Snake venom Oxidoreductase Oxidative deamination D-amino acid oxidase EC 1.4.3 Flavoproteins Enzymes of known structure Hydrogen peroxide