Bacterial exotoxins in medicine: potential value and perspectives.

Abstract

Bacterial exotoxins are protein- or peptide-based substances secreted by bacteria with high toxicity and specificity. They have diverse mechanisms of action on host cells, leading to host injury by destroying the cellular structure or interfering with physiological functions. With the continuous progress in biotechnology, bacterial exotoxins have broad application prospects in immunotherapy, vaccine development, drug design, and other fields. Appropriate modification of exotoxins can lead to the preparation of highly efficient immune agents and targeted drugs, which brings new hope for overcoming difficult diseases. This study provides a comprehensive and in-depth introduction to the application of bacterial exotoxins in the field of medicine and further explores the potential value of bacterial exotoxins, which is expected to make greater contributions to human health in the future.