The researchers explain in their paper that they discovered that it targets a specific receptor in the brain that is involved in the transmission of pain: sodium channels. By capturing and purifying this poison, it would then be able to develop a very effective antidote. This is not the first time that researchers have shown interest in the serpent venin's owners. Another species has also been the subject of several studies: the African snake known as the "mamba noir." To this end, the Inserm* reports succinctly that researchers at the Institut de pharmacologie moléculaire et cellulaire (Sophia-Antipolis) discovered two toxines in his venin that are capable of inhibiting the receptors involved in the douloureuse feeling.
Un contre-douleur au clef?
By studying this toxin and its manner of action on sodium channels, researchers hope to develop a very effective antidote. It would then be necessary to recover the caillotoxine, purify it, and target the appropriate areas of the brain responsible for pain. Numerous studies have been conducted on venins: for example, the venin of another corail snake, Micrucus clarkii, has been examined in order to better understand specific illnesses such as epilepsy or schizophrenia. The venin of the black mamba may be useful in the development of synthetic molecules with the same potency as morphine but without the side effects.
Another area of study is the development of an antidouleur: the clébre Mamba Noir, whose venin contains two toxines capable of inhibiting the receptors involved in the douloureuse experience. « These molecules would be as powerful as morphine, but without the undesirable side effects, » explain the researchers at INSERM who are working on the project.
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