Wasps, lizards, snakes, jellyfish, fish … There are more than one hundred thousand species of poisonous animals capable of producing millions of toxins . These can cause different types of damage, from muscle paralysis to blood clotting dysfunctions. However, it has been known for centuries that, in certain amounts, poisons can also have therapeutic effects. For example, a team of researchers from the University of Buffalo, in the United States, discovered that a protein that could be used to combat muscular dystrophy was present in the Chilean rose tarantula, Grammostola spatulata.
Now, a team of researchers from the University of Queensland, in Australia, and the company PreveCeutical Medical, plans to take advantage of the venom of the blue scorpion, Rhopalurus junceus , endemic to Cuba, the Dominican Republic and various areas of Central America, to design drugs with antitumor properties . This arachnid, which can reach 10 centimeters in length, is not dangerous for humans, but a preliminary study by the Faculty of Pharmacy of the aforementioned Australian institution has shown that the bioactive peptides found in it – molecules that are formed from several amino acids – could also be used to enhance the immune system and in the development of different therapeutic applications.
The scientists plan to carry out a comprehensive study that will allow them to identify the aforementioned peptides and manufacture synthetic versions of them.
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