What will we treat cancer? Scientists put hopes into these dangerous poisons

Cancer poisons

Use poison as a medicine? Actually, it’s quite logical. In nature, poisons are created for accurate intervention. They paralyze, kill, destroy cells. That is why scientists decided to turn them against cancer.

This idea is also quite old. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks experimented with poisons. Their use against cancer takes a second breath and has the first results. What happens if weapons from a spider, scorpion or bees are transferred to the laboratory?

Which poisons can fight cancer?

One sting with a bee and we all know how it hurts. Although the bee somehow apologizes for defending and not attacking, its sting is clearly uncomfortable. But her poison could heal. It contains Melittin, which actively upset the surface of cancer cells. Melittin triggers apoptosis or suicide of cells and the immunological reaction of the organism.

More specifically, the issue was also dealt with by “Melittin selectively destroys the cells of triple-negative and HER2+ breast cancer” in NPJ Precision Oncology. It turned out that the bee poison directly targets the most durable tumors. However, the question remains how to transport Melittin to the body so that it hurts only cancer, and not by the surrounding tissues.

The snakes help poison to paralyze prey and paralyze cancer cells. Peptide Contortrostatin from the Agkistrodon Contortrix, or copper rattlesnake, has other ambitions. In 2000, the Breast Cancer Research and Treatment was published “Contortrostatin, Disintegrin Copy Rip, Blocks Adhesion and Invasion of Breast Carcinoma”. The result was pleased not only by experts. Tumor cells stopped moving, lost the ability to spread on. Other animal experiments have even shown to slow the growth of primary tumors and protect the lungs from metastases.

Brazilian Pox Pox Paulista is small, but her poison also has great potential. Peptide MP1 recognizes the cancer according to the tumor cells have differently arranged lipids on the surface. And it can work there. In Biophysical Journal called “PE and PS Lipids, they synergically increase the porosity of the membrane by means of a peptide with antitumor properties” showed that the cells literally emptied after intervention. Healthy tissues remain alone. The poison worked with the accuracy of the surgeon, elegantly, fast and targeted.

Spiders in people usually arouse resistance. But the poison of Acanthoscuria Gomesiana contains peptide gomesin that can attack melanoma. In 2018 in Scientific Reports, a study “Gomesin inhibits melanoma growth by affecting the key signal cascades that control the cellular death and proliferation” where It slowed the growth of tumors at Zebrafish and mice.

In the same year in Cell Death Discovery, scientists have described “Gomesin peptides prevent proliferation and lead to cell death of cells causing devilish facial tumor”. The spider thus became a literally celebrated hero. His poison affects not only human melanoma, but also cancer that destroys an endangered species.

The handcuff in the fire is the poison from the Deadly

Scorpions did not deserve a good reputation. Their poison is often deadly, even for cancer cells. Chlorotoxin, The substance contained in the poison of the Leiurus quinquestriatus or the scorpion of the most venomous, can choose cells in the brain tumor and stick to them.

Already in Journal of Biological Chemistry, a study called “Chlorotoxin inhibits the invasion of gliom cells through matrix metalloproteinase-2*”, which started enormous enthusiasm. A few years later, in 2006 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, scientists tried to administer radio -coded chlorotoxin to patients with recurrent brain tumors. And it worked safely. Paradoxically, Škor’s poison is the most promising substance in the fight against tumors.