Electrophysiological evaluation of the effect of peptide toxins on voltage-gated ion channels: a scoping review on theoretical and methodological aspects with focus on the Central and South American experience

channels", "cnidarian venoms", "cone snail venoms", "scorpion venoms", "spider venoms", "snake venoms", "cardiac myocytes", "dorsal root ganglia", and summarized the literature as a scoping review. First, we present the basics and recent advances in mammalian voltage-gated ion channel's structure and function and update the most important animal sources of channel-modulating toxins (e.g. cnidarian and cone snails, scorpions, spiders, and snakes), highlighting the properties of toxins electrophysiologically characterized in Central and South America. Finally, we describe the local experience in implementing the patch-clamp technique using two models of excitable cells, as well as the participation in characterizing new modulators of ion channels derived from the venom of a local spider, a toxins' source less studied with electrophysiological techniques. Fostering the implementation of electrophysiological methods in more laboratories in the region will strengthen our capabilities in many fields, such as toxinology, toxicology, pharmacology, natural products, biophysics, biomedicine, and bioengineering.