Sofia Perez
The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in Kings’ palaces.
Proverbs 30:28
After defending the bad press snakes get in Western culture and highlighting the potential their venom offers the field of medicine, I was struck by a dagger of guilt. More than 220,000 species- or approximately 15% of all animal diversity on earth – are venomous. What about their potential in medicine? I decided I couldn’t possibly move on from the topic of venom without giving a shoutout to the fascinating array of cone snails, spiders, scorpions, and other species that seldom get the spotlight they deserve. This guilt weighed me down heavily as I wondered with great futility how to resolve this moral conundrum. That’s when I came across Adam Roy’s article for the magazine Outside, Keep Your Bird-Watching- I’m a Spider Man. It was clear after reading it that my next venomous protagonists would be scorpions and spiders, both arachnids, which are members of the arthropod group and Arachnida class.
Anon, (n.d.). [Online Image] Pixabay. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/animal-arachnid-close-up-creepy-219959/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
To paint the picture, I think it’s helpful to get to know the stars of the show. If you aren’t too clear on what constitutes the Arachnida class, according to Britannica, they have segmented bodies, tough exoskeletons, and jointed appendages. Most are predatory and almost all of them lack jaws.This is because instead, they inject digestive fluids into their prey before sucking out the liquefied remains into their mouths.
(Sidenote: That might send a shiver down your spine, but please don’t go out killing spiders. They are important members of the ecosystem in your home, your garden, and the wild. In fact, they even act as a form of biological pest control for not only flies, but also disease-carrying insects, like cockroaches or mosquitos.)
…please don’t go out killing spiders. They are important members of the ecosystem in your home, your garden, and the wild. In fact, they even act as a form of biological pest control…
Scorpions, on the other hand, only use their venom defensively, so as long as you don’t provoke them, you should be safe. They are otherwise fascinating creatures for so many reasons, for example because they glow in the dark for reasons scientists still debate, and have extremely low metabolic rates, allowing them to survive with one tenth the oxygen of other insects.
G., S. (n.d.). [Online Image] Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-and-brown-insect-with-pincers-1981542/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
But apart from being absolutely mind-boggling little critters, spiders and scorpions have added to their repertoire in recent years. Their venom, as it turns out, could help treat conditions like chronic pain and cancer. The big question is why. Why can venom, which is so painful when you’ve just been stung by a scorpion, snake, or spider, be used to alleviate pain at the same time? This contradiction is what enticed me at first, and perhaps it’s also what entices you.
Why can venom, which is so painful when you’ve just been stung by a scorpion, snake, or spider, be used to alleviate pain at the same time?
The reason venom can accomplish so much biochemically is because it contains such a large variety of peptides, each targeting a unique type of pore on the cell surface. These targets are called ion channels, and they control the flow of ions across cell membranes, shaping the electrical signals which are the stars behind muscle contraction and relaxation, blood pressure, neuronal signaling, neurotransmitter release, hormone secretion, and ensuring electrolyte balance.
Specifically when it comes to chronic pain, Medical News Today suggests that past studies have found that one of the most common pathways involved is Nav1.7, which is a sodium ion channel. By blocking this channel as some venoms do, researchers predict that the pathways controlling pain will basically be turned off. According to Professor Glenn King of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland in Australia, a researcher in this study, “Previous research shows indifference to pain among people who lack Nav1.7 channels due to a naturally-occurring genetic mutation – so blocking these channels has the potential to turning off pain in people with normal pain pathways.”
Another application I mentioned was cancer, in which venom can be used as “tumor paint”, first developed by Dr. Jim Olsen. This would involve using the chlorotoxin peptide found in deathstalker scorpion venom to stick to cancer cells in the patient’s bloodstream alongside a dye which is fluorescent under laser light. This chlorotoxin peptide binds to glioma cells, a type of tumor found in the brain and spinal cord, and blocks chloride channels. This would allow a surgeon to clearly identify the type of cancer and which tissue is cancerous versus normal. Amazingly, this isn’t just a nice idea tossed around in the ether. The FDA has already approved this venom-based tumor paint for use in brain tumor clinical trials.
Mind-boggling, right? And these are only a few examples! Other peptides with therapeutic potential are margatoxin, ω-CVID, α-GID, μ-PIIIA, ShK, χ-MrIB, and GsMTx4, which you can read up more on by using the sources at the bottom of this post.
That said, one difficulty to synthesizing these medical tools is that such a small proportion of venom has actually been discovered. Dr. Julie Kaae Klint, a member of the Institute for Molecular Bioscience and another author from King’s study on applying venom to chronic pain, estimates that there are roughly 9 million spider-venom peptides and only 0.01% have been explored so far. Let’s just stop to think about this. Imagine you drew a line half the length of the Grand Canyon or about two times as wide as the English Channel. For every inch of this line, there is a unique spider-venom peptide out there. Now imagine a line only the length of two and a half London buses. For every inch of this line, there is one spider-venom peptide that has been discovered. That still leaves almost 9 million spider-venom peptides that have not been explored. What will we find when we do?
…there are roughly 9 million spider-venom peptides and only 0.01% have been explored so far…Imagine you drew a line half the length of the Grand Canyon or about two times as wide as the English Channel. For every inch of this line, there is a unique spider-venom peptide out there. Now imagine a line only the length of two and a half London buses. For every inch of this line, there is one spider-venom peptide that has been discovered.
Willinger, M. (n.d.). [Online Image] Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-spider-3482977/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
On that note, there’s another challenge to synthesizing venom-based drugs- and that is how to actually identify the peptides that we can put to use. In a paper published online on February 11 2014 in Current Biology, a team of researchers led by Michael Nitabach, Yale Medical School, New Haven, US, described a “new approach to identifying novel peptide toxins, a method that could bolster the design of new drugs targeting ion channels”. This method has a name that I love, mostly because you can’t find it in the dictionary. It’s toxineering.
This is essentially a method of screening all the different molecules in venom to find the ones that do the job you want. You can think of it as LinkedIn for venom, scrolling through the properties of each molecule until you find just the right candidate who will (1) bind and who will (2) bind to the receptor you want it to. In the Nitabach’s Yale study, researchers were specifically looking for a molecule to bind to the TRPA1 receptor and as a result of combing through their t-toxin library using toxineering, found the ProTx-I peptide which is now used for several clinical applications.
This is very promising, but as always, there remains vast uncharted territory in the field of venomics and toxineering, and arachnid and snake venoms are not the only types to hold promise. There are also fascinating developments in the venoms of animals like komodo dragons, which have applications in treating strokes, heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms, and northern short-tailed shrews, whose venom is being used to explore cancer treatment. All in all, it is a field overflowing with questions, innovation, and potential. What will we find in the daunting ocean of undiscovered peptides? How will the medical industry work with nature to benefit human health? Who will brave the unknown in order to finally answer these questions for the world?
Thought to Action
- For free, switch your search browser to Ecosia, the search engine which uses the profits produced from your searches to plant trees where they are needed most. Ecosia is currently using its profits to plant trees all around the world, a mission which supports biodiversity, helps to fight climate change, and gives you the chance to make a real difference.
- Don’t kill the spiders you find in your home. If you must remove them, use a jar to capture and release them outside. Why? In brief, because spiders are natural pest controllers and are important biological control of pests. If you want to read up more, check out the articles below:
- Plant native trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, and herbs in your garden to promote biodiversity locally.
- Did you know that if every single person in France deleted 50 emails, the energy savings would be equivalent to turning the Eiffel tower’s lights off for 42 years or to New York City not consuming any electricity for 4 hours? If you want to contribute to saving energy on this scale:
- refuse unnecessary notifications that clog your inbox
- unsubscribe to newsletters/subscriptions you no longer find useful
- delete emails with large attachments
- clear out your junk mail folder regularly
- Try Tru Earth’s laundry eco-strips to save space, money, and the planet. If not, at least watch their wonderfully amusing ads to put a smile on your face: Things You Should Never Mix with Water or Real Men do Laundry.
- Replace your arachnophobia with arachnophilia. The Cornell Library’s Arachnophilia online exhibit explains the nuanced way spiders understand the world around them while discussing the diversity of arachnids, amazing properties of spider silk- which has a higher strength to density ratio than steel- and the use of spider venom in medicine.
Sources
This is your gentle reminder to always fact check…always.
abc2.org. (2021). FDA Approves Scorpion Venom-based Tumor Paint for Brain Cancer Clinical Trial. [online] Available at: https://abc2.org/press-blog/2014/09/fda-approves-scorpion-venom-based-tumor-paint-brain-tumor-clinical-trial/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Animals and Cartoonists. Http://Twitter. com/Johnrplatt Http://Johnrplatt.com Https://Www.instagram.com/Johnrplatt (2021). We Need to Talk About Spider Conservation • The Revelator. [online] The Revelator. Available at: https://therevelator.org/spider-conservation/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Arachnophilia – Online exhibitions across Cornell University Library. (2020). Spider Senses. [online] Available at: https://exhibits.library.cornell.edu/arachnophilia/feature/spider-senses [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
britishspiders.org.uk. (n.d.). Arachnids and arachnology | British Arachnological Society. [online] Available at: https://britishspiders.org.uk/arachnids [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Caba, J. (2013). ‘Tumor Paint’ Made From Scorpion Venom Could Be Viable Brain Cancer Treatment Option [VIDEO]. [online] Medical Daily. Available at: https://www.medicaldaily.com/tumor-paint-made-scorpion-venom-could-be-viable-brain-cancer-treatment-option-video-264133 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Culin, J. (2020). arachnid | Definition, Facts, & Examples | Britannica. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/animal/arachnid.
EcoWatch. (2021). We Need to Talk About Spider Conservation. [online] Available at: https://www.ecowatch.com/spider-conservation-2652937580.html [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Gui, J., Liu, B., Cao, G., Lipchik, Andrew M., Perez, M., Dekan, Z., Mobli, M., Daly, Norelle L., Alewood, Paul F., Parker, Laurie L., King, Glenn F., Zhou, Y., Jordt, S.-E. and Nitabach, Michael N. (2014). A Tarantula-Venom Peptide Antagonizes the TRPA1 Nociceptor Ion Channel by Binding to the S1–S4 Gating Domain. Current Biology, [online] 24(5), pp.473–483. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.01.013.
Hannon, H. and Atchison, W. (2013). Omega-Conotoxins as Experimental Tools and Therapeutics in Pain Management. Marine Drugs, 11(12), pp.680–699. doi:10.3390/md11030680.
https://www.facebook.com/thoughtcodotcom (2019). There Are at Least 10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Scorpions. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/scorpion-facts-4135393 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
jversteegh (2022). Keep Your Bird-Watching—I’m a Spider Man. [online] Outside Online. Available at: https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/spiders-fears-misconceptions/?utm_source [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Lewis, R.J. and Garcia, M.L. (2003). Therapeutic potential of venom peptides. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2(10), pp.790–802. doi:10.1038/nrd1197.
March 12, C.N., 2017 and Am, 9:22 (2017). On The Horizon: Scorpion venom as cancer treatment. [online] www.cbsnews.com. Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/on-the-horizon-scorpion-venom-as-cancer-treatment-tumor-paint/.
Oliveira, A.L., Viegas, M.F., da Silva, S.L., Soares, A.M., Ramos, M.J. and Fernandes, P.A. (2022). The chemistry of snake venom and its medicinal potential. Nature Reviews Chemistry, [online] pp.1–19. doi:10.1038/s41570-022-00393-7.
Peterson, J. (2012). Don’t Kill Spiders. [online] HowStuffWorks. Available at: https://home.howstuffworks.com/green-living/dont-kill-spiders.htm [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Shaw, A. (n.d.). How venoms are shaping medical advances | BBC Earth. [online] www.bbcearth.com. Available at: https://www.bbcearth.com/news/how-venoms-are-shaping-medical-advances [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Silva, W. da (2022). Venom: The New Miracle of Medicine. [online] ILLUMINATION-Curated. Available at: https://medium.com/illumination-curated/venom-a-revolution-in-medicine-d163eb065e28 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
src=”https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6a9e2dae2b328b5cdfa3221e8fa8f071?s=96, img class=”avatar” alt=”Kiersten H., #038;d=mm, Sep. 05, 038;r=g” width=”50″ height=”50″>Kiersten H. and 2022 (2019). Here’s Why You Should Never Kill A Spider. [online] Family Handyman. Available at: https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/heres-why-you-should-never-kill-a-spider/.
Weller, C. (2014). Tarantula Venom Promises Painkiller Development. [online] Medical Daily. Available at: https://www.medicaldaily.com/tarantula-venom-offers-hope-painkiller-development-thanks-novel-screening-method-269479 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Whiteman, H. (2015). Newly identified compounds in spider venom could help treat chronic pain. [online] www.medicalnewstoday.com. Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/290338 [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
Yong, E. (2011). Why do scorpions glow in the dark (and could their whole bodies be one big eye)? [online] Science. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/why-do-scorpions-glow-in-the-dark-and-could-their-whole-bodies-be-one-big-eye [Accessed 9 Dec. 2022].
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