Black mamba venom better pain-killer than morphine: Researchers

Updated on: 04 October,2012 01:21 PM IST |
Agencies |

Venom from the world's deadliest snake - the black mamba, which can kill a person within half an hour, could actually be a painkiller at par with morphine, researchers say

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Anne Baron from the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology in Valbonne, France, and her colleagues, hunted through hundreds of compounds for one that blocks acid-sensing ion channels in nerves.

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These are key in a common pain pathway. The victorious compound turned out to be venom from the black mamba, New Scientist reported.

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Baron’s team then identified the proteins in the venom that blocked the ion channels, before naming them mambalgins and purifying them to produce a drug.

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black mamba snake
A black mamba at night

Mice injected with the drug appeared to be significantly more resilient to pain as compared to those given a sham treatment.

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The researchers found that the drug did not affect the opioid receptors that are targeted by morphine but was just as effective in relieving pain.

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According to Baron, anyone taking the new drug might therefore avoid side effects associated with morphine, which include addiction and breathing problems.

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The study has been published in Nature.u00a0

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