Česky
Chronic pain is often defined as pain lasting more than 3-6 months and is one of the most common causes of long-term disability. It is caused when the nerve fibers of a specific part of the body continuously send signals to the brain by way of the pain pathway. We're talking about chronic pain, which is experienced by more than 100 million Americans.
However, using spider venom to relieve pain is not a new idea. Most of the 45,000 species of spiders known to date kill their victims with venom that contains thousands of protein molecules known as peptides. Some of these peptides can block nerve activity, which is why scientists have been exploring the idea of identifying and then using these peptides to treat pain in humans for many years. And this high number of peptides is also a real challenge for scientists - conservative estimates speak of as many as 9 million peptides in spider venom, and only 0.01% of them have been elucidated to date.
The scientists have therefore developed a system described as "high-throughput fluorescence analysis" that will allow them to quickly search for peptides in spider venom. In the aforementioned study, 205 spider venom samples were examined, and in the venom of the spider Haplopelma doriae (belonging to the tarantula), the Hd1a component was detected, which seems to be the most effective option in pain relief. This is not only due to its blockade of neural pathways, but also due to its chemical, thermal and biological stability.
Source: medicalnewstoday
