Studies conducted by Brazilian researchers have demonstrated the beneficial effects of tick saliva in the fight against certain cancers, in particular skin cancer and pancreatic cancer.
The tick has in its saliva, an anticoagulant protein that it injects into its host in order to make its blood more liquid. This protein has therefore been found to be useful since people with cancer have impaired blood clotting.
Tests were therefore carried out on mice suffering from skin cancer. The protein found in tick saliva was artificially reproduced and injected into sick mice. After 42 days of treatment, the cancer cells were completely gone. It now remains to wait for human tests to confirm this discovery.
