Natural Medicines Animal Poisons cure diseases

Researchers use natural toxins as medicines

09.09.2011, 17:02

The toxins of snakes, jellyfish, spiders, scorpions, lizards and other animals can be effective agents for various diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, chronic pain, heart attacks, high blood pressure or strokes in the right dosage.

Referring to a list of highly toxic natural remedies in the current issue of the journal „Chemical & Engineering News“ is called „world“ numerous examples of animal poisons that can be used in medicine for the treatment of diseases. Thus, for example, the saliva of the occurring in the southwestern United States Gila-Krustenechse contains the protein exendin, which causes severe pain after biting, but in small doses can regulate the insulin budget of diabetics. Pharmaceutical researchers make use of the natural properties of animal toxins in order to use them specifically to combat diseases.

Animal poisons help with numerous diseases
The drugs derived from animal poisons are often extremely effective and at the correct therapeutic dosage in the micro or nanogram range usually relatively low side effects, report the journal „Chemical & Engineering News“. The pharmaceutical researchers use special properties of the toxins. For example, a natural poison that paralyzes the heart muscle can also be used to treat tachycardia. Toxins that inhibit blood clotting and, after a bite, cause the victim to bleed to death can be used to prevent blood clots, preventing strokes and heart attacks. The animals need the highly toxic substances for defense or for hunting, but in humans they can contribute in the right dosage to combat various diseases. For years now, chemists, physicians and pharmacologists have been researching in nature for new drugs that can be used to treat patients.

All animal toxins are based on so-called peptides, which are composed of juxtaposed amino acids. However, these amino acids, which also serve as building blocks of human proteins, are degraded by the organism relatively quickly, so that corresponding medicaments can only have their effect over a very limited period of time. Scientists worldwide are therefore working hard on ways to slow down the degradation of peptides in the body. Among other things, they used an addition of the peptides by attached side chains. These are intended to act as a barrier to the attacking digestive enzymes, slowing down the degradation of peptides and allowing medicines to be fully effective. The pharmaceutical researchers use natural toxins as a starting point and then optimize these with regard to efficacy and side effects, reports „world“.

Animal toxins extremely precise and selective
As an example of such natural active ingredients, the news portal calls the strong venom of certain cone snails, which blocks the nerve conduction and thus should help in the treatment of chronic pain. In addition, you can „World Online“ The toxins of sand-bladder otters, lance-eared eagle and dwarf rattlesnake cause severe unquenchable bleeding, but at the same time protect against heart attacks, high blood pressure and strokes. Most of the animal toxins, according to the experts, are an extremely important prerequisite for the development of efficient medicines. They are extremely precise and selective, so that unwanted side effects and damage to healthy tissue can be avoided. Another example of the medical benefits of animal toxins is the venom of the poison dart frogs. This potentially deadly toxin usually causes severe cramping and paralysis, but at the right dose it has a much more pain-relieving effect than, for example, morphine. In the light of recent research reports, it seems that nature has the right drug for every ailment, and science has not discovered all of them yet. (Fp)

Picture: Nadja