Compounds in the venom of the conch can replace the opioid pain

[ China Pharmaceutical Network Technology News ] It is reported that a recent study found that one component of the venom secreted by the conch can relieve pain, and the mechanism of action of this compound is not the same as the traditional opioid analgesic. This analgesic active ingredient is called RgIA, a compound in the venom secreted by the conch species called "Conus regius". This conch has a conical outer shell that is common in the Caribbean.

(The compound in the conch venom can replace the opioid pain. Image Source: Baidu Pictures)

More than 90 people die every day in the United States because of overdose of opium, and this new finding may provide new treatment strategies in addition to opium, thus avoiding the consequences of overdose.

"The evolution of nature, in addition to many and its complex molecules, often has unexpected application prospects." According to biologist Baldomero Olivera from the University of Utah.

"And we are interested in using venom substances to understand the different signaling pathways in the nervous system."

Previous studies have focused on the analgesic effect of RgIA on rodents, but the mechanism of action of this drug has been unclear. In response to this problem, Olivera et al. used synthetic chemistry to obtain twenty different compounds of RgIA with subtle molecular structure differences.

By computer simulation, they found that RgIA specifically binds to the α9α10 acetylcholine receptor and may block receptor activity in this way. It is generally believed that this pathway recognizes signals of neurotransmitters, such as nicotine.

Among the many derivatives, they found that RgIA4 can also bind tightly to the receptor. To investigate whether they have the same function, the researchers established a mouse model: first, by administering chemotherapy drugs, the mice were extremely sensitive to cold temperatures and touches, and then treated with RgIA4.

The results showed that mice treated with RgIA4 had no painful symptoms, while animals that were not treated showed significant pain after treatment with chemotherapy. In addition, mice with the α9α10 receptor deletion mutation were no longer able to feel pain.

Therefore, the researchers believe that these results can show that they have found effective molecular targets for venom, but this research is still in its infancy.

There is no guarantee that RgIA4 will be equally effective in the treatment of pain in humans, but researchers have confidence in this. The results were published in the journal PNAS.