Smitten by Snakes- The healing power of snake venom

Issued by Rian Viljoen

Since time immemorial, snakes have had a bad reputation, and have been feared, loathed, hunted and killed by mankind. These poor animals have borne the brunt of our phobias and fears for so long, it is no wonder that only recently have we been looking into snakes as a possible source of new chemicals that can be used medically to benefit human kind.

In almost all cultures and religions, snakes have a generally bad portrayal, and are rarely mentioned in a positive light, although a few of the aforementioned do in fact treat certain snakes as gods, and some tribes have been using snake venom, and their various body parts, to treat ailments since man first started using medicines (albeit mostly in the form of snake oil which is essentially useless, and where we get the term when meaning something is like snake oil/useless).

These days, there are now laboratories studying all aspects of snake venom, as well as the venom from other animals, such as spiders and scorpions, and the things that they are developing are astonishing to say the least. There are companies that “milk” the snakes for their venom, which is a very intensive process that requires hands on contact with deadly serpents, extracting their venom in quantities, drying it and treating it in special processes, and then sending the solid venom mass to the various laboratories, or to the antivenom producers (another interesting and lengthy story for another article). Once at the laboratories, it is then treated accordingly, and disassembled, synthesized and tested on various projects and so on. The list of drugs now being made is small, but is sure to grow quickly, and the use of these drugs will become more prevalent over time, and as science advances, I am sure we will see many more life-saving medications coming from the animals that bring fear into our lives.

One of the first medicines synthesized from snake venom was from a Brazilian Pit Viper who’s specific protein inhibited a compound called ACA from functioning correctly, and thereby treating high blood pressure, without side-effects or damaging other vital organs.

Eptifibatide, a drug from modified rattlesnake venom proteins, and tirofiban, containing proteins from African Saw-Scale Viper venom, are used for treating mild heart attacks or chest pains, and break down small clots in the blood. The venom of a Malaysian Viper is currently under testing for treating and prevent strokes.

Research into the elapid venom is also underway, with reason to believe that venom from front fanged snakes, like the black mamba, can be used to treat such diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and various pain disorders. There are studies into undisclosed snake species venom that are able to destroy cancerous cells without harming the neighboring healthy cells, and clinical trials are under way for a pain killer derived from mamba venom proteins that are said to be more effective than Morphine, with none of the side-effects associated with Morphine use.

In the next 10 – 20 years, who knows what possibilities lie within studying the natural world, and particularly the things we fear and therefore poorly understood. In time, we may have cures for almost all our dreaded diseases and ailments, from the most unlikely sources we could have imagined, our worst fears. Hopefully, man will see the benefits of nature, before we end up destroying or decimating cures that we may well never know about .

Also Read:Smitten by snakes- Reptiles as Pets.

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