Öйú365betÖÐÎĹÙÍø

Using compounds from venom — poisons intended to hurt or kill � as therapeutics might seem counter-intuitive. Nevertheless, researchers are identifying venom proteins that could help treat a variety of medical conditions. Below are some recent papers published in ACS journals that report insights into the medical uses of these proteins. Reporters can request free access to these papers by emailing newsroom@acs.org.

Journal of Natural Products
Feb. 24, 2022

ChanSu is a traditional Chinese medicine made from defensive venoms secreted by the skin glands of certain toads. Researchers found that a compound from the venom, telocinobufagin, has antitumor effects in human non-small-cell lung cancer cells and a mouse xenograft model by inhibiting a cell signaling protein called STAT3.

JACS Au
Nov. 24, 2021

Inspired by sequences from a snake venom protein that blocks integrin-mediated cell adhesion, researchers synthesized a cyclic peptide called visabron and investigated it for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). In a mouse model, visabron had therapeutic effects similar to current immunosuppressant drugs used to treat MS, but with potentially fewer side effects.

ACS Infectious Diseases
Aug. 31, 2021

Multidrug-resistant bacteria are becoming a global health problem, and effective new antimicrobials are desperately needed. These researchers modified an antimicrobial peptide from scorpion venom to make it more effective at killing multidrug-resistant bacteria in a mouse model while being less toxic to human cells.

ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science
June 7, 2021

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain, bloating and altered bowel habits. The researchers identified a peptide from tarantula venom that potently inhibits a sodium channel in the gut, alleviating chronic abdominal pain in a mouse model of IBS.