HAZIPATIKA
Aug 10, 2022
Scorpion venom seems to be one of the most interesting natural active ingredients: it contains a mixture of peptides that can kill cells by punching a hole in the cell walls.
When introducing new drugs, it is customary for the main active ingredient to be a natural compound or a modified version of it: such are cholesterol-lowering statins produced by bacteria, quinine taken against malaria or the anti-cancer paclitaxel found in yew trees. (Approximately 40 percent of medicines contain such natural active ingredients.)
Some of these "natural products" are toxins released by plants or animals as a defense mechanism. Of these, scorpion venom seems to be one of the most interesting active ingredients: it contains a mixture of peptides that can kill cells by punching a hole in the cell walls. And this can be especially useful if, for example, we can get these peptides to kill the cells of cancer tumors. For example, a peptide known as TsAP-1, extracted from the Brazilian yellow scorpion (Tityus serrulatus), has both anti-cancer and anti-microbial effects.
The question in this and all similar cases is how to target the effect of the toxins, since without restrictions these toxins would kill both tumors and healthy cells. Researchers at the University of Illinois have now come up with a solution for this: they created compound-carrying spheres using nanotechnology. According to measurements, the poison package called NanoVenin can kill breast cancer ten times more effectively. This is an exciting development for two reasons: on the one hand, because the poison has not yet been used due to its general, non-specific destructive effect, and on the other hand, because the drug's effectiveness has been multiplied by the use of nanotechnology.
Breast cancer was targeted during the experiment, but this drug is by no means disease-specific. For example, researchers are able to provide the outside of the package with binding proteins that favor certain types of cancer. Or, of course, they could be provided with a degradable layer so that the toxin does not emerge until it has reached its final destination. All of these naturally go through a number of experimental and licensing processes before they are placed on the shelves, but this situation sufficiently demonstrates that many drugs have not yet reached the market because their delivery to the target is not yet accurate and perfect.