By Armaan Singh
Ouch! Snake bites and bee stings! These two events are thought to be painful and lethal as snake bites can be a death sentence. However, recent medical research revealed that the venom from bee stings and snake bites carry unique treatment properties. These unique properties hold promise for the treatment of cancer and arthritis. According to Amy McDermott, “People have used venoms as medicines for thousands of years. In India, needles dipped in snake venom feature in a fiery kind of Ayurvedic acupuncture to treat joint pain and inflammation. In China, dried venoms from the lumpy brown skins of toads are traditional anticancer treatments. In Southeastern Mexico, a beverage of mashed tarantula, alcohol, and herbs traditionally treats chest pain and asthma. Western medicine’s interest in venom grew from traditional uses and blossomed in the early 1980s with the advent of the first venom-derived drug, captopril,” (McDermott, 2020 ).
https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-red-and-black-snake-34426/
Let us begin with bee stings. When a bee stings you, it jabs a barbed stinger into your skin. As a result of this, bee venom, which contains a protein that affects skin cells and the immune system, is released into the host. While this is usually harmful (especially to those with allergies), there are some positive deviants from venom. One of these deviants is the hormone called glucocorticoid, which has been shown to stop the progression of inflammatory arthritis. The hormone does this by repressing the expression of cytokines, [signal molecules] that cause inflammation. As a result of this, inflammation is stopped. Bee venom is also able to combat the formation of rheumatoid synovial cells. In a study with 100 patients, half were injected with traditional RA treatment and the other half were subject to bee venom therapy. The group with bee venom therapy yielded the best results. (Liu Chen and Zhang 2008). Despite promising results, the research is still immature, and there are some critics that report that bee venom therapy has yet to be widely studied. The risk of allergic reactions that can be fatal are to be heeded, but there are individuals that report benefits and relief all the same.
Snake venom is often perceived as an extremely lethal compound that can impair and even kill humans. It is made up of thousands of proteins and polypeptides.and contains compounds such as Hyaluronidase which can damage the body through the catalyzation of the cleavage of internal glycosidic bonds. These are integral for cell to cell communication. This can affect multiple parts of our bodies; a coastal taipan’s venom may strike our immune system and nerves, or a black mamba’s venom may affect our motor end plate, leaving us paralyzed. However, in spite of the many harmful effects and compounds in the venom of snakes, there are some deviants that have great potential for cancer treatment. It is easily apparent that venom is apt at killing cells; they could prove themselves to be quite useful in the treatment of cancer cells. However, this approach is slightly unrefined and can damage normal, healthy cells (similar to the way chemotherapy does). Snake venom has some potential and requires some further investigation[before clinical use. In China, snake wine has been used as a traditional medicine.
Cancer is characterized by cell transformation, uncontrolled cell division, and a lack of apoptosis. Induction of apoptosis, also called the death of cells, is the most important mechanism of many anticancer agents. Many research publications have shown a complete remission of tumor cells after snake venom treatment. Snake venom acts by inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting cell death by different means. Its toxins were also investigated as blockers of metastasis, one of the major causes of death in patients with cancer. Snake venom shows high cytotoxic potential as an antitumor agent. The toxins in snake venom fight cancer cells without harming healthy cells. Professor Markland from the University of Southern California described a study on venom theory, “We injected contortrostatin, a protein found in southern copperhead snake venom, directly into the mammary glands of mice where human breast cancer cells had been injected two weeks earlier. Not only did the injection of this protein inhibit the growth of the tumor, but it also slowed angiogenesis, the growth of blood vessels into the tumor that supply it with nutrients and allow the tumor to grow and spread. The protein also impaired the spread of the tumor to the lungs, one site where breast cancer spreads effectively.”
There is great promise in venom therapy. With ongoing research and promising findings, patients may be offered some treatment --and hopefully remission -- of cancer.
What did you learn?
Question 1: How have people used venom for the past thousand years?
Answer: People have used venoms as medicines for thousands of years. In India, needles dipped in snake venom feature in a fiery kind of Ayurvedic acupuncture to treat joint pain and inflammation. In China, dried venoms from the lumpy brown skins of toads are traditional anticancer treatments. In Southeastern Mexico, a traditional beverage of mashed tarantula, alcohol, and herbs treated chest pain and asthma. Western medicine’s interest in venom stemmed from traditional uses and blossomed in the early 1980s with the advent of the first venom-derived drug, captopril
Question 2: What is in snake venom that makes it a treatment option for humans?
Answer: Snake venom acts by inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting cell death by different means. Snake venom toxins were also investigated as blockers of metastasis.