Found a way to create an effective pain reliever from rattlesnake venom

In one of our previous articles, we mentionedthat snake venom is actively used in the manufacture of medicines for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and strengthening immunity. However, scientists also know that the poison of South American rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus terrificus) has a strong analgesic property and, in theory, can be used to treat cancer. Scientists have known this for more than ten years, but the creation of a strong pain medication has always been hindered by the fact that the poison remained too dangerous for people's lives. Fortunately, recently, Brazilian scientists have found a way to reduce its toxicity, which can be considered the first step to creating drugs based on the poison of rattlesnakes.

Rattlesnake venom (Crotalus durissus terrificus) may become the main one for new painkillers

The discovery of scientists was told in the scientificToxins Magazine. The main active substance that is contained in the poison of rattlesnakes is the so-called crotoxin. The author of the scientific work, Gisele Picolo, has been studying this substance since the distant 2011 and he has long been convinced of its anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-cancer properties. But, as mentioned above, the creation of commercial drugs has always been prevented by the danger of poison to the health of the body. The results of a study conducted by completely different scientists helped to reduce the activity of toxic substances.

New medicines for snake venom

A group of scientists led by Professor OsvaldoSant’Anna has been developing vaccines for a long time, the main purpose of which is to activate the body's immune response against potentially dangerous substances. In one of the scientific works, the researchers found that if dangerous antigens are introduced into the body of animals together with particles of silicon dioxide, the mixture increases the number of antibodies produced that fight dangerous substances. An experiment on horses showed that silicon dioxide can completely reduce the power of potentially hazardous substances. Upon learning about this, Gisele Picolo suggested that dioxide can even reduce the strength of the effects of snake venom.

See also: A new kind of snake was discovered that can attack without even opening its mouth

Animal tests have shown that the mixturecrotoxin and silicon dioxide are indeed less dangerous than snake venom, administered alone. Moreover, the mixing of the two substances increased the duration of the analgesic effect to 48 hours. Scientists have explained the decrease in toxicity by the fact that silicon dioxide particles interfere with the breakdown of crotoxin and even allow you to take medicine in the form of tablets.

At the moment, the substance crotoxin can only be obtained from the poison of rattlesnakes.

Unfortunately, despite the success ofexperiment, to create a commercial painkiller based on snake venom is still far away. Firstly, scientists still need to conduct human trials, for which they need to get permission from regulatory authorities. Secondly, at the moment, crotoxin can only be obtained directly from the rattlesnake venom, and researchers have not yet learned how to obtain it in the laboratory.

If you are interested in the news of science and technology, subscribe to our channel in Yandex. Dzen. There you will find materials that have not been published on the site!

Be that as it may, the first step to creatingmedicine has already been made and now it is important for scientists to create a technology for laboratory synthesis of toxic substances. According to Gisele Picolo, crotoxin is a substance with an extremely complex structure and its production in the laboratory can take quite a lot of time.