Sting in the tail
17 Nov 2010 by Evoluted New Media
A Central American scorpion could hold the key to reducing heart bypass failures say scientists from the University of Leeds.
A Central American scorpion could hold the key to reducing heart bypass failures say scientists from the University of Leeds.
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Scorpion venom could hold the key to reducing heart bypass failures |
The scientists found that margatoxin – a toxin in the venom of the bark scorpion – prevents neointimal hyperplasia, the most common type of bypass graft failure. The toxin is 100 times more potent than any other known compound.
“Its staggeringly potent,” said lead author Professor David Beech from the faculty of biological sciences, “We’re talking about needing very few molecules in order to obtain an effect.”
When a vein is grafted onto the heart during a bypass procedure, the injury response kicks in – while the growth of new cells strengthens the vein, internal growth restricts blood flow and causes the graft to fail.
Previous research has indicated that Kv1.3 – an ion channel involved in activating the immune system – is linked with chronic inflammation problems in the immune system. The Leeds team wanted to know if Kv1.3’s presence in injured blood vessels – which are also complicated by chronic inflammation – was replicated in newintimal hyperplasia.
“There were a number of good blockers of this ion channel to screen. Several compounds are developed from plants and one comes from scorpion venom,” Beech said, “But margatoxin was the most potent of all these by a significant margin.”
Beech believes the toxin could not be used in a swallowed, inhaled or injected drug and it is perhaps too potent, but it might be suitable for a spray-on treatment for the vein once it’s been removed and waiting to be grafted onto the heart.
