Aprotein present in centipede venomit may be more effective than morphine in fighting chronic pain. And, what is more interesting, it does not generate side effects, according to a study conducted by Australian and Chinese researchers and published in the journalPNAS.
The finding, the result of theinoculation of the venom of the Chinese red-headed centipede ( Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans )in mice, it may contribute to the development of new pain relievers, according to Glenn King, a researcher at the University of Queensland. Not surprisingly, as King points out, “poisonous arthropods such as centipedes, scorpions and spiders found more than a hundred million years ago that the best way to kill an insect is to target its nervous system and paralyze it”, something that humans could use to our advantage.
In their experiments, the scientists focused on studying thesodium channelsvoltage-dependent, human proteins that play an important role in the emission of electrical signals to excitable neurons and cells. Specifically, the work focuses onNav1.7, a protein that is crucial in the transmission of pain and whose mutation causes an absence of pain in humans. King and his colleagues found that the venom of the Chinese red-headed centipede is 150 times more likely to selectively affect Nav1 .7 on the other sodium channels. TheThe effect turned out to be similar to that of morphine in some cases, and in others much even more powerfulAlthough the difference is that centipede venom does not cause addiction because it does not block receptors like morphine does. In addition, there were no side effects on blood pressure or heart rate. And it could be given intravenously, subcutaneously, and possibly even orally. In short, it is a much more specific alternative to opioids to fight pain.
