Page 7 - IAV Digital Magazine #477

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Medical Benefits Of Scorpion Venom: One Of The Most Expensive Liquids On Earth
By Adnana Alexe
Most of us want to avoid scorpi- ons, and for good reason! But the venom in a scor- pion’s sting is much more than just a toxic sub- stance. In fact, much like snake venoms, the ven- oms found in scorpions have several applica- tions that could be used to help save lives rather than end them! Let’s see
more medical benefits of scorpi- on venom.
For example, pro- teins from some scorpion venoms can be used in immunosuppres- sant and anti- malarial drugs, and amino acid
in scorpion venom can help clinicians more easily detect lethal brain tumors. Now researchers have discovered a type of scorpion venom that con- tains two com- pounds that can kill bacteria resist- ant to antibiotics.
This scorpion, called Diplocentru s Melici, is native to Eastern Mexico and lives under- ground most of the year, appear- ing only in Mexico’s rainy season. Researchers iso- lated the com- pounds in the scorpion’s venom and synthesized them in a lab.
They then tested the synthetic ver- sion in mice. One compound that is red in color was very effective at the killing
of Staphylococcu s bacteria.
Meanwhile, another similar compound excelled at killing off regular tuber- culosis-
causing bacteria.
What’s amazing is that this includ- ed a strain of the diseases that had developed resist- ance to existing drugs. While compounds were effective at killing off the diseases, they left the mice unharmed, Unfortunately, sco rpion venom is the most expen- sive liquid on earth. It costs around $38,585,507,46
per gallon (3,7 liters).
It’s even more expensive than Thailand’s King Cobra venom which costs around $153,000 a gallon (3,5 liters). Unfortunately, the scorpion pro- duces just 2 mil- ligrams of venom at a time. Therefore, it’s necessary to make synthetic versions of these venoms, other- wise, there simply won’t be enough to lower the cost, and no one will be able to afford the drugs!
Beyond using them to fight off antibacterial- resistant illness- es, researchers are looking into using scorpion venoms as using a peptide
from scorpion venom to sup- press immune responses, allow- ing it to be used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Even cancer is beginning to feel the scorpion’s sting. A drug called VIDATOX is obtained from Blue scorpions. It’s known as “Cuba’s Miracle Drug” and the drug shows prom- ising anti-cancer activity. And it has been tested on more than 10.000 cancer patients.
So far, the drug has yielded posi- tive results against various cancers. Scorpion Venom may not always be able to help kill cancer, but some venoms are great for help- ing doctors find
cancer! Researchers have developed a so-called “tumor paint” using chlorotoxin, a pro- tein found in deathstalker scor- pion venom.
The molecule attaches itself only to cancerous brain cells and lights them up through a fluores- cent tag attached to the toxin. This enables doctors to pinpoint the exact location and extent of cancerous growth in the body.
Medical benefits of scorpion venom also include blocking bone loss, mak- ing it a useful substance for treating condi- tions like rheuma- toid arthritis and osteoarthritis. In 2011, a 71-year- old Cuban man claimed he lets scorpions sting him at least once amonthandasa result, he fends off body aches and pains.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine