Soon a analgesic made from snake venom? French researchers at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology in Nice are optimistic that they will one day develop such a painkiller. By analyzing the venom of 50 snakes, they have indeed discovered that one of them constitutes an analgesic as powerful as morphine. This venom is that of the black mamba, one of the most dangerous snakes in Africa. The famous reptile which uses the neurotoxins of its venom to paralyze and kill its prey. In theory, one bite from this snake would be enough to kill a dozen humans. This is to say its toxicity.
So how could such a venom relieve pain? In fact, it contains painkiller proteins called mambalgins. French researchers were able to test the effects on laboratory mice. Unlike morphine, mambalgins fight pain without taking the opioid pathway to the brain. These proteins therefore do not cause the side effects generally associated with taking morphine such as headache, vomiting, difficulty thinking, muscle spasms. The mambalgins would not have the addictive effect of morphine either.
Since pain works similarly in mice and humans, the team of scientists will continue research before considering the development of a pain reliever for clinical use.
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