Snake Venom: Poison or Medicine - Essay Example

? Snake Venom: Poison or Medicine? Lecturer: Snakes are potentially dangerous creatures and many dreads getting anywhere closer to them. An encounter with a snake is not only scary to many, but may also lead to painful consequences, even death in case of a snake bite which is not timely treated. Despite these dangers posed by snakes, medical researchers such as Zoltan Takacs have taken the risk to meet these poisonous animals and the venoms they produce to unravel the significance of the said venoms towards disease treatment in human beings. In seeking an appropriate scope for this study, this paper will attempt to delve deep into the underlying chemistry in which the venoms or poisons produced by snakes work and their significance to humanity, specifically their medicinal value in disease treatment. With treatments of this manner, it is fascinating therefore to learn how medical scientists have managed to turn the deadly poisonous venoms to medicine for treating various ailments in human beings. What then is poison or venom? Though used interchangeable, warns Dr. Vernon (2012, 1, paragraph 2) the two are different in meaning and are distinguished from one another in the method of delivery. Poison, he writes, is absorbed, ingested or inhaled while venom is injected. This resonates with Gibbons et al. (1990, 273) argument who define venom as a toxin produced in certain glands of one animal and mechanically transmitted by biting or stinging. This provides the hypothesis that all venoms are poisonous, but a poison is not necessarily venom. The King cobra is an example of a venomous snake and provides a perfect specimen for this study. Allow me to introduce to you the deadliest snake in the world; The King Cobra, also known as ophiophagus hannah or the snake eater. Named so because of its dietary habit of preying on its ‘kin’s’ (feeds on fellow snakes). The King Cobra is the largest venomous snake in the world with the longest ever found measuring 18 feet. King Cobras are usually brown or olive green, or even yellowish. Their bellies are usually pale with the rear of the body and the tail being black in color. The King Cobra is commonly known for its hood (Gerhardt, 1995, 6 paragraph 1).See figure 1b). It has a broad and flattened head with the neck having a narrow hood which can be extended when threatened (WildScreen, 2013, 1, paragraph 2) .A single bite of this snake can easily kill a human. Worse still, a full- grown Asian elephant can die within a time limit of 3 hours if bitten on the trunk by this dangerous snake. In addition to the above features, most snakes normally produce a hissing sound in response to threat; however, this cannot be said of the King Cobra which makes a distinctive growl emanating from the throat and deepens as it grows. Dangerous as it is, this snake species is harvested for its meat, skin and bile which are used in traditional medicine (WildScreen, 2013, 1, paragraph 12). What type of Venom does the King cobra posses and how does it work? There are three different types of venoms namely; Hemotoxic, (attacks the cardiovascular system), Cytotoxic (targets specific muscle groups) and Neurotoxic (attacks the brain and the nervous system) venoms. Some snakes combine the venom types while others carry specific form of venom (WiseGeek, 2013, 1, paragraph 2). Ophiophagous hannah is one such which exhibits a combination of the three, but is predominantly Neurotoxic venom (Dr.venom, 2010, 1, paragraph 2). In the same line of reasoning, Corporation (2004, 273, paragraph 2) provides corroborating information which marries with that of WiseGreek. He posits that neurotoxins attack the nervous system, preventing the impulses from controlling the muscles thus paralyzing the victim. He adds that snake venoms are formed from enzymes, which are protein in nature. More so, different snake species have different cocktail of venoms which either work individually or in groups to achieve the desired end; neurotoxins, myotoxins and hemotoxins. Most Extreme (2012, 1, paragraph 1) provides description on their website on how the process of King Cobra bite occurs and the eventual envenomation. The venom is passed through the snake’s half –inch fangs, during the bite, into the wound and quickly attacks the victim’s central nervous system. This leaves the victim with severe pain, blurred vision, vertigo, drowsy and paralyzed. Moreover, the venom results to cardiovascular arrest making the victim to fall into a comma, and at this stage death is inevitable for the respiratory system is impaired. Although Snakes are dangerous to humans, scientific researchers see them differently; as primed specimens for medical research in using the venom as an antidote? Well, this may sound absurd and puzzling to many as it is natural that these venomous snakes instill fear onto humans and many dreads coming close to them, but not medical researchers who search for them and ‘milk’ the venom from these poisonous snakes( see figure 1.a) ). This poison ejected by snakes has been scientifically proven to treat disorders such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and cancer (Animals in Research, 2013, paragraph 2). Poison turned into medicine, that’s the picture presented here, no wonder they say there is no much difference between a poison and medicine; the difference is in the dose ( Toledo et al, 2010, 1,paragraph 1).Before looking at the specific type of venom, it is important to understand the underlying principle upon which poison turn medicine works. Animals in Research (2013, 1, paragraph 3) provide an insight into how snake venom works. It is the ability of the venom ejected by the snakes to hit on the key pathways the body uses to keep its blood flowing and nervous system properly in action that makes it poisonous or deadly. It is the same pathways that diseases also disrupt but in the opposite direction. For example, the causative agent of stroke and heart attack is blood clots, yet snake venoms contain proteins that make victims of snake bites bleed to death as it prevents blood clot. This, argues Animal Research (2013, 1, paragraph 3), can in small doses be safe and effective treatment for stroke and heart attack. Examples of such drugs are eptifibatide (modified rattle snake protein venom) and tirofiban (African saw-scaled viper venom protein) used in treating heart attack. Also, stroke patients can be treated using clot-busting drugs. The Malayan pit viper protein (ancord) dissolves blood clot that cause stroke for as long as six hours after stroke symptoms start. More so, ancord prevents new blood clots from forming. In addition, snake venom has been successfully used in treating patients with high blood pressure, thanks to the Brazilian pit viper venom. There are many other uses of snake venoms in treating various diseases and there are ongoing researches in many institutions find solutions to the various diseases. One such Institution is the National Antivenom and Vaccine Production Centre. The National Antivenom and Vaccine Production Centre (NAVPC) is an example of an institution which manufactures medicine containing animal venom. Located at the National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, the centre is the only one of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region. The facility was built in accordance to the European Standards of Good manufacturing practice (GMP) and it has a modern plant for plasma processing and ampoule filling. Apart from the main plant, the centre also have other facilities such as laboratories, serpentarium (contains large collections of snakes and scorpions), animal house and horse stable. The horse stable is located 3 kilometers away from the production area and homes more than 160 horses. The horses are used for immunization since it produces its antivenom as equine sera (NAVPC, 2013, 1). The NAVPC is a producer of very potent antivenoms of local snakes and scorpions and has succeeded in developing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that can specifically identify all Saudi snakes and scorpions. The facility also has the capacity to meet the needs of the kingdom and that of the Gulf state as far as antivenom requirement is concerned. Nevertheless, NAVPC has the potential of supplying neighboring nations with specialized antivenoms should need arise (NAVPC, 2013, 1). One of the leading figures in ‘venom exploration’ is Zoltan Takacs, PhD, (a herpetologist and a toxinologist) who is a research associate and assistant professor at the University of Chicago. Takacs love for nature began at a young age. As a boy he captured and bred snakes in his room. On a particular incident, a viper escaped to his parents’ bedroom but he fortunately recaptured it after a few days. This brings out the picture of a young man, who contrary to many was fascinated with snakes while his peers, I guess, were handling toys. It is against this background that Takacs proceeded to study pharmacology in Hungary and earned himself a PhD from Columbia University in New York. His main study has been on the animal venoms usually snake venoms. Snake venoms contain toxins and such toxins Takacs say are a source of over a dozen medications including among others heart attack, high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes and chronic pain. The process of envomation and subsequent antivenom manufacture had been discussed earlier (University of Chicago, 2010, 1, paragraphs 1- 7). At the university, Takacs and Steve Goldstein (a biophysicist) have recently developed the ‘Designer-Toxin’ technology. With this technology, Takacs foresees a future free from cancer and respiratory disorders as they will develop toxin-based drugs to treat such diseases. Takacs’ work appears to be two fold; one of collecting venom and the other is analyzing it. The nature of handling the two finds him in different environments. The first sends him far into unfamiliar places of the world while the latter confines him to a laboratory (University of Chicago, 2010, paragraph 7). In 2010, Takacs was named to the class of National Geographic Emerging Explorers. He was one among the 14 individuals from around the world who were considered to be making remarkable contribution to the world through exploration. This has made him to be a beneficiary of $10000 from the National Geographic to further this noble mission. Although snakes are not charismatic animals to most people, Takacs advices that there preservation is necessary for it is the same snake that kills an individual that can also heal one (University of Chicago, 2010, 1, paragraph 2). With all said and done, it remains without question that snakes are dangerous animals and are a threat to human life. However, through the works of taxonologists like Takacs, we have managed to see the other side of these deadly animals. Snake venoms have been proven to be antidotes for the cure of various ailments. Research is, hitherto ongoing in various labs by scientists to uncover more on the venom turn medicine. It is on this regard that these species needs to be preserved and not persecuted. Appendix Figure 1 a).Dr. Takacs extracting poison from a Taipan. Source:The University of Chicago Medicine. http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/2010/2010F Figure 1b) The King Cobra showing the hood. Source.http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/reptiles/king-cobra References Animals in Research. (2013).Making Medicines from Poisonous Snakes. Retrieved on 6 May 2013.http://science.education.nih.gov/animalresearch.nsf/Story1/Making+Medicines+from+Poisonous+Snakes Corporation C Marshall. (2004).Encyclopedia of the Aquatic World: Sea Urchin and Sand Dollar- Sponge . New York: Marshal Cavendish Publishers. Dr. Venom. (2012). Dr. Venom’s Official Webpage.Retrieved on 6 May 2013 from http://www.drvenom.org/venomxxx.htm Gerholdt James. (1995) .King Cobras .New York: ABDO Publishers. Gibbons Whitfield, Haynes Albert, Haynes Robert & Thomas Joab. (1990). Poisonous Plants and Venomous Animals of Alabama and Adjoining States. New York: University of Alabama Press. Most Extreme.(2012).Deadliest Snake in the World .Retrieved on 6 May 2013 from http://mostextreme.org/deadliest_snake.php.http National Antivenom and Vaccine Production Centre(NAVPC).(2013).National Antivenom and Vaccine Production Centre. Retrieved on 6 May 2013 from http://www.antivenom-center.com/ San Diego Zoo. (2013). King Cobra. Retrieved on 6 May 2013 from http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/reptiles/king-cobra The University of Chicago. (2010).Snake Researcher Zoltan Takacs Named National Geographic ‘Emerging Explorer’. Retrieved on 6 May 2013 from http://news.uchicago.edu/article/2010/05/18/snake-researcher-zoltan-takacs-named-national-geographic-emerging-explorer Toledo Adriana, Sponchiato Diogo and Rupretch Theo. (2010). When Poison Becomes Medicine. Retrieved on 6 May 2013 from. http://english.pravda.ru/health/22-10-2010/115475-when_poison_becomes_medicine-0/ Wild Screen. (2013). King Cobra. Retrieved on 6 May 2013 from. http://www.arkive.org/king-cobra/ophiophagus-hannah/ WiseGeek. (2013).How Does Snake Venoms Affect the Human Body? Retrieved on 6 May 2013 from http://www.wisegeek.org/how-does-snake-venom-affect-the-human-body.htm# Read More