Researchers are constantly on the hunt for new solutions to medical problems - and sometimes, they find them in really strange places. Take a look at...
While the venoms of some cone snails are lethal to humans, they also have potential as pain-killers. One FDA-approved conotoxin is already in use - injected into the spinal column, it provides an analgesic effect 1,000 times as strong as morphine without the risk of addiction carried by opiates!
The venom contains exendin-4... which is very similar to a human hormone (GLP-1) that can stimulate the production of insulin. Sufferers of type-2 diabetes can have trouble producing GLP-1, which leads to an insulin shortage and an inability to handle large amounts of sugar.
Type-2 diabetes is one of the most common health conditions in the world, with symptoms ranging from nerve damage to cardiovascular problems and death. Researchers were able to synthesize a drug called exenatide (commercially Byetta) based on the venom to help!
The skin of frogs is permeated by a collection of antibiotic agents, killing any microbe that comes into contact with them. More than 100 potential anti-bacterial substances have been obtained from frog skin, and some may be effective treatments for infections that resist current antibiotics such as MSRA.
The only problem is that the substances need to be altered before they are used in medicine. Not only can some of them prove dangerous to human cells, the human body can break them down before they have the chance to act!
Unbeknownst to the farmers, the hay was contaminated with dicoumarol from the mold. This substance prevented blood from clotting and was behind the internal blood loss of the cattle. After being brought a sample of the un-clotted blood, biochemist Karl Link experimented with dicoumarol derivatives and found a fast-acting and potent version useful as a rodenticide - warfarin.
In 1951, a US military recruit attempted to end their life using the rat-killing poison, but recovered after being treated with vitamin K. Since the toxic effects could now be reversed on demand, it entered the medical field as an anticoagulant. US President Eisenhower was one of the earliest beneficiaries, being prescribed warfarin after a heart attack!
The venom contains peptides and proteins that interfered with the function of ion channels and receptors in mammalian neurons. By cross-referencing the effects of each component against known medical conditions, researchers were able to "cure" Dravet syndrome in mice - a particularly nasty form of epilepsy that's also found in humans.
There's also potential for treating strokes. These cause acid-sensing ion channel 1a to become active and begin a chain reaction... leading to the deaths of two million neurons every minute. A peptide extracted from the venom can prevent this channel from activating, buying time to get a patient into a hospital. The drug we have currently can help patients with ischemic (i.e., due to a blood clot) stroke, but worsens the effects of a hemorrhagic (bleeding in the brain) stroke - meaning that it's massively risky to administer before the patient can be scanned. This new drug could function for both types of stroke and thus protect the brain from damage until surgery!
One such medicinal sponge is Tectitethya crypta, first investigated in the 1950s. Not only was the first anti-leukemia drug developed from chemicals found in this marine organism, this sponge was the source anti-HIV drug azidothymidine in the 1980s!
This blue blood contains extremely sensitive immune cells that respond rapidly to toxic bacteria, clotting around the offending microbes and shielding the crab from further harm. Scientists make use of these cells in the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) test performed on vaccines. This test allows vaccines to be rapidly checked for contamination, preventing bad batches from being used - critical during the covid-19 pandemic, as vaccines were rapidly developed, produced and shipped.
Of course, using this method requires the harvesting of horseshoe crab blood. Captured crabs are "bled" in labs before being released back to the ocean... and while most survive the process, there are some that don't make it. They can also find themselves being eaten or used as bait by fishermen - there's gratitude for you!
Thanks for reading - perhaps you'd also like...
- The Pain-Killing Killer Snail
- The Deadly Insulin-Stimulating Lizard
- Microbe-Killing Frog Skin
- Blood-Thinning Hay
- Brain-Saving Spider-Bites
- The Cancer and HIV Fighting Sponge
- Scorpion, Meet Cancer
- The Incredible Blue-Blooded Pathogen-Detecting Living-Fossil Horseshoe Crab
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| The inspiration for an insulin-stimulating drug... (jessiegirl413) |
The Pain-Killing Killer Snail
Cone snails are small carnivorous marine mollusks with an incredibly deadly weapon. Too slow to chase down prey, they shoot a biological harpoon into nearby targets... injecting them with a paralytic cocktail of deadly venom.While the venoms of some cone snails are lethal to humans, they also have potential as pain-killers. One FDA-approved conotoxin is already in use - injected into the spinal column, it provides an analgesic effect 1,000 times as strong as morphine without the risk of addiction carried by opiates!
The Deadly Insulin-Stimulating Lizard
The Gila monster is a large, striking and venomous lizard found in the USA. Their bite can cause burning pain for hours - but the venom can also be used in the treatment of type-2 diabetes.The venom contains exendin-4... which is very similar to a human hormone (GLP-1) that can stimulate the production of insulin. Sufferers of type-2 diabetes can have trouble producing GLP-1, which leads to an insulin shortage and an inability to handle large amounts of sugar.
Type-2 diabetes is one of the most common health conditions in the world, with symptoms ranging from nerve damage to cardiovascular problems and death. Researchers were able to synthesize a drug called exenatide (commercially Byetta) based on the venom to help!
Microbe-Killing Frog Skin
Frogs have been around for over 300 million years, making their homes in swamps and polluted waters. It's a simple fact that they are exposed to huge amounts of dangerous microbes, just waiting to seep through their skin or enter via a wound. So, how do these amphibians survive and thrive?The skin of frogs is permeated by a collection of antibiotic agents, killing any microbe that comes into contact with them. More than 100 potential anti-bacterial substances have been obtained from frog skin, and some may be effective treatments for infections that resist current antibiotics such as MSRA.
The only problem is that the substances need to be altered before they are used in medicine. Not only can some of them prove dangerous to human cells, the human body can break them down before they have the chance to act!
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| Where warfarin was found... (jhenning) |
Blood-Thinning Hay
The cattle of 1920s America and Canada seemed to be under attack. Healthy animals were keeling over and dying from massive internal bleeding... was it the work of a monster like the chupacabra, or was their a clue in the food they were eating?The beasts had been grazing on hay made from sweet clover, which had developed mold thanks to a long spell of damp weather. Since it was a time of financial hardship for the farmers, they didn't have the money to replace the spoiled hay - and the animals had seemed happy enough to eat it.
Unbeknownst to the farmers, the hay was contaminated with dicoumarol from the mold. This substance prevented blood from clotting and was behind the internal blood loss of the cattle. After being brought a sample of the un-clotted blood, biochemist Karl Link experimented with dicoumarol derivatives and found a fast-acting and potent version useful as a rodenticide - warfarin.
In 1951, a US military recruit attempted to end their life using the rat-killing poison, but recovered after being treated with vitamin K. Since the toxic effects could now be reversed on demand, it entered the medical field as an anticoagulant. US President Eisenhower was one of the earliest beneficiaries, being prescribed warfarin after a heart attack!
Brain-Saving Spider-Bites
Australian funnel-web spider venom has over 3,000 components, making it one of the most complicated venoms in the world. As such, the odds were good that at least one part of this lethal mixture would be useful.The venom contains peptides and proteins that interfered with the function of ion channels and receptors in mammalian neurons. By cross-referencing the effects of each component against known medical conditions, researchers were able to "cure" Dravet syndrome in mice - a particularly nasty form of epilepsy that's also found in humans.
There's also potential for treating strokes. These cause acid-sensing ion channel 1a to become active and begin a chain reaction... leading to the deaths of two million neurons every minute. A peptide extracted from the venom can prevent this channel from activating, buying time to get a patient into a hospital. The drug we have currently can help patients with ischemic (i.e., due to a blood clot) stroke, but worsens the effects of a hemorrhagic (bleeding in the brain) stroke - meaning that it's massively risky to administer before the patient can be scanned. This new drug could function for both types of stroke and thus protect the brain from damage until surgery!
The Cancer and HIV Fighting Sponge
Sponges are endemic in the world's oceans, with over 9,000 separate species identified so far... but since they are sedentary and feed by filter, they are easy targets for microbes. To survive, they have had to develop a range of chemical defenses to ward off infection - and this in turn means that they are a rich potential source for new drugs.One such medicinal sponge is Tectitethya crypta, first investigated in the 1950s. Not only was the first anti-leukemia drug developed from chemicals found in this marine organism, this sponge was the source anti-HIV drug azidothymidine in the 1980s!
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| The blue blood of horseshoe crabs has anti-microbial properties... (Engel9) |
Scorpion, Meet Cancer
One of the problems faced by oncologists is how to identify cancerous cells. Because they are formed from the tissue of the body, they can be hard to distinguish - and any surgery risks failing to remove all the cancerous tissue. A potential way around this is to use dyes - these can be injected into the patient, attaching to cancerous cells and "stain" them for surgeons to see.One experimental procedure uses a dye that glows under infra-red, linked to a chlorotoxin derived from the venom of deathstalker scorpions. The venom causes cancerous (and only cancerous) cells to absorb the dye, allowing surgeons to illuminate cancer cells and leave healthy tissue intact!
The Incredible Blue-Blooded Pathogen-Detecting Living-Fossil Horseshoe Crab
The horseshoe crab existed before the dinosaurs, and continues to live in the modern era. One of their most striking features is their bright blue blood - and the anti-microbial properties it possesses.This blue blood contains extremely sensitive immune cells that respond rapidly to toxic bacteria, clotting around the offending microbes and shielding the crab from further harm. Scientists make use of these cells in the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) test performed on vaccines. This test allows vaccines to be rapidly checked for contamination, preventing bad batches from being used - critical during the covid-19 pandemic, as vaccines were rapidly developed, produced and shipped.
Of course, using this method requires the harvesting of horseshoe crab blood. Captured crabs are "bled" in labs before being released back to the ocean... and while most survive the process, there are some that don't make it. They can also find themselves being eaten or used as bait by fishermen - there's gratitude for you!
Thanks for reading - perhaps you'd also like...