Venomous reptiles may contribute to the development of new drugs for human diseases because they have adapted the venom so that it does not harm them, believe scientists in Liverpool, who share their findings in the Journal of Communications.
Snake and lizard venom is already used in the manufacture of drugs, but some of the chemicals in it are often too poisonous to humans. However, a Liverpool study found that reptiles have tamed some toxins and use them safely in other parts of the body.
It is these tamed toxins that can be used in the development of new, effective drugs, if their potency is maintained, making them safe for the human body.
Scientists compared the genomes of venomous snakes and lizards to recreate the evolution of the venom. They found that it was an unexpectedly dynamic process. The chemicals in the venom formed during a long evolutionary process, and then were adapted by different parts of the reptile organism for different uses.
The venom gland in snakes is a crucible from which new functions of molecules arise in the course of evolution. Some are preserved in venom to kill prey, while others are taking on new functions in other tissues of the body, says Dr. Nicholas Casewell of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
The cardiovascular system, heart and blood vessels, as well as the nervous system – these are the main fields of attack of the serpent poison, which for some time has played a role in the development of certain drugs for hypertension, such as ACE inhibitors (groups of drugs used in the treatment of hypertension, heart failure , ischemic heart disease, and in some kidney diseases).
The poison of some poisonous toxins in snakes interacts with the same physiological pathways that doctors want to track to heal various medical conditions, says Dr. Wolfgang Wuster of Bagnor University in Wales. (PAP)
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