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Venom: New Dimensions of Medicine
#1
Lightbulb 
In due course of evolution of living world, Venom had played the most important role in many aspects of life. It is mainly formed in the body as a defense mechanism as well as a weapon to get the food to survive.
During Evolution many species have develop their unique type of venom. These species are of reptiles, spiders, fishes, insects or even some species of birds and mammals. All venoms have one role to play as a common and that is to protect themselves from the predator. Different types of venoms have different mode of action on the body, such as they can be Neurotoxins, Cardio toxins, Nephrotoxins, and Neurotoxins etc., These venoms are made from different proteins having different three dimensional structure which when enter in the body can cause the damage to living organism. But many of recent research has focus light on its use as medicine if applied in micron quantity.

Basically venoms are biological proteins when enter in the body can attack any specific biochemical reaction or pathway within the body of organism and stops or altered the reaction so the main function of the organ or body will halted , due to which organism either get paralyzed or get dead. This specific property of venom has been correlated to the modern medicine or drugs. All types of drugs have a specific action on the body or system which is used as treatment to cure a disease or disorder.

Today many types of drugs have been formulated for various purposes of treatments; most of these drugs are mainly used as pain killers, many research shown venoms use in cancer treatment, cardiovascular, neurological, diabetes, and hypertension related issues. Modern science has started to discover venoms as a new way to treat these types of diseases or disorders by using their mode of action on the body. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE inhibitors) is the best drug class derived from peptide lead of venom, exenatide, a synthetic analogue of Exendin-4, is today widely used as treatment of type 2 diabetes. This is obtained from a venomous lizard, the Gila Monster, from the deserts of the Southwest USA and Mexico, has passed clinical trials and is now approved medicine for diabetes.

Many types of venom are now studied for their three-dimensional structure, there mode of action and their specific organs or receptor in the body where venoms act, so the same can be exploited for the purpose of treatment. Venom study have open vast field of biological science, many research have initiated on this front of biology. Lot of venoms from various reptiles have been studied now for their effect on blood, many types of venoms from snakes have proved to have help in reducing the viscosity of blood, (thinning effect), some sort of venom use as an anticoagulant, some venoms have direct effect on nerve conduction and have a selective effect on nervous system, which are now in use as a nerve stimulant. Venoms are now studied for their effect on hypertensions so can be used as a drug for blood pressure treatment. Another venoms or toxins from various species and not only from reptiles also prove to be useful. Scorpion venom are also open a new way for pain killer, it is now compare with morphine. Venoms from spiders also shown important get way to treat heart patients as some peptide from their toxins have help to elevate blood pressure and can be use in treating the atrial fibrillation. Some venom has proven that they can inhibit the cell growth which can be used in treating the cancer.

In modern age of science with the help of genetic engineering and protein engineering many venoms are now studied , during their studies various new learning have come which are again helping us to learn and understand how naturally formed venoms can be used as effective medicine for us to treat various illness today we are facing. Venoms are compositions of various proteins, some proteins found in the same venoms are very helpful which can be use as a drug, portion of the venom from deaths talker (scorpion) has the ability to treat the brain cancer. Venom from cobra snake has shown some promise in arthritis treatment.

All drugs have some sort of side effect in their use, but Venom has less or no side effect as such due to their high selectivity. This type of study have not only given us new way of thinking, new way of treatments but all this biodiversity and its immense correlation with the nature will definitely help us to build a healthy word to live which will be free from acute diseases.
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#2
When toxins turn into medicines

Most people think that toxins can't induce anything but damage. In some sense, they are right - toxins are developed as defense mechanisms against various predators. People learned the hard way which animals and plants should be avoided. List of poisonous species is large, but luckily most of them could be easily recognized as dangerous due to specific skin coloration or weird body shape (lionfish). Morphological alert can save attacker's life if it recognizes it on time. Although people are familiar with poisonous animals for centuries, massive exploitation of the natural compounds began recently, when technological and technical discoveries provided researchers with tools needed for target isolation of toxins.

Civilized people depend on medicine. Number of available drugs is high and it continues rising; next generation of medicines is improved, as well as delivery systems used. Still, some diseases remain unbeatable and untreatable. Cancer is certainly on the top of the list. There are few major obstacles in drug discovery: it is a long-lasting and expensive process that can fail at any stage (even in the last, clinical phase). Thousands of molecules will be thrown away until one potential molecule is identified. All these reasons forced drug industry to change approach in discovery of novel drug candidates. Instead synthesizing drugs in the lab, scientists start exploring oldest and biggest known pharmacy in the world - pharmacy of nature! If you watch Donald Schulz (better known as a venom hunter), you know that everything, from platypus to fish, can be a good sources of toxins that could help scientists find potential solution for numerous diseases that are waiting to be cured. Scorpions are especially well studied and their venoms are already manufactured for treatment of various diseases:

Cancer

Scorpion venoms are efficient against numerous cancer types. Toxin isolated from Buthus martensii Karsch, known as BmK AGAP, is used against glioma (tumor of brain and spine). This neurotoxin targets sodium channels in the brain and induces apoptosis of the glioma cells. Another toxin, named chlorotoxin, isolated from the Leiurus quinquestriatus (death-stalker scorpion) could be used for the same purpose. Chemically it is a peptide that blocks small-conductance chloride channels that are found in the glioma cells. Application of cholortoxin is used in diagnostic (in the early discovery) and therapeutic purposes due to high sensitivity of chloride channels to chlorotoxin. Chlorotoxin also proved to be excellent in brain tumor imaging. When combined with fluorescent dye, it delineates tumor borders from the remaining healthy tissue and facilitates brain surgery. This toxin is safe when used in mammals but it is highly toxic for insects and it has potential to become efficient insecticide in the future. Bengalin is protein isolated from the Heterometrus bengalensis (Indian scorpion). When tested in the lab, bengaline shows potent anti-proliferative and cytotoxic effect against human leukemia cell lines. Anticancer effect was achieved through mitochondrial death cascade. BmHYA1 is a hyaluronidase isolated from the venom of Buthus martensi (Chinese red scorpion). Some breast cancers contain large amount of hyaluronan and since BmHYA1is a hyaluronidase, it successfully degrades hyaluronan and reduces the size of tumor. Excellent news regarding this toxin is that it is not associated with toxic side effects.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is neurological disorder that affects between 30 and 40 millions of people in the world. Perfect antiepileptic doesn’t exist and those that are currently in use produce serious side effects. Toxins isolated from the Buthus martensi Karsch, named neurotoxins alpha and beta proved to be efficient in treating epilepsy in rats. BmK IT2 (beta neurotoxin) inhibits sodium channels in the hippocampus which trigger epileptic seizures.

Autoimmune diseases

Due to altered function of Kv1.3 channels in effector memory T cells, immune system recognizes its own cells as foreign bodies and destroys them. People diagnosed with autoimmune disease (like multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis…) receive immunosuppressive therapy. Kaliotoxin KTX is a neurotoxin isolated from Androctonus mauretanicus that shows great immunosuppressive properties. OSK1 is another potent toxin, derived from Orthochirus scrobiculosus that blocks Kv1.3 and prevents damaging effects of immune system.

Although close contact with scorpions can be dangerous and result in serious tissue injuries, proteins from their venoms can cure a lot of disorders when they are applied appropriately. Besides cancer, epilepsy and autoimmune disorders, scorpion venoms are used for development of drugs that treat erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular disorders, malaria or for the production of insecticides.
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#3
To add to that, some other types of venoms are also used as part of treatment for certain bodily conditions.

We have the Tarantula Venom for Muscle Dystrophy. Having made several attempts to turn muscle cell channels on and off using drug compounds but found no desired results, Frederich Sachs, a biophysicist from the University of Buffalo, resorted to a spider’s venom.

They chose the Chilean rose tarantula (Grammostola spatulata) which is commonly found in pet stores and sold as harmless house pets. It is known to have a venom too weak to cause damage to a human. His team decided to experiment on a certain peptide isolated from the spider which is called the GsMtx-4 or a 34 amino acid peptidyl toxin. This peptide then showed effects that could turn the muscle channels off. Those with muscle dystrophy suffer from excessive mechanical stress on their muscles. That is why turning off some channels of the muscle cells might improve muscle activity. Sure enough, such were the results to the injected lab mice with the condition. After FDA approval, Sachs and his team plan to start the trials.

Another venom compound coming from the Brazilian yellow scorpion (Tityus serrulatus) has proven to be a worthy tool in studying pancreatitis, a severe inflammation of the pancreas. The compound’s name is antarease and can cause pancreatitis to individuals stung by the scorpion. It is being tested by Dr. Fletcher and his team from East Carolina. Studying the venom and how it can react to the pancreas may allow the researchers to discover better treatment plans for pancreatitis.

Venomous lizards also didn’t escape the picture. Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum) were found to have a substance in their venom which could help in the treatment of those with type II diabetes. The peptide exendin, one of the venom’s components, showed to have effects that could moderate the glucose levels in the body and at the same time stimulate slow and steady insulin production.

What a beautiful paradox! Indeed nature never fails to surprise us with its molecules of miracles.
Lyka Candelario, RN
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