I came across an article on Science Daily (see link below) where scientists have been able to encase within nanoparticles a component of bee venom, melittin, that is known to permeabilize cell membranes. They have engineered these nanoparticles to recognize proteins expressed on the outside of the HIV retrovirus's protein shell so that the melittin is not released until it comes into contact with the virion, effectively poking holes into the virion to (hopefully) render it incapable of establishing an infection.
Bee venom component might offer HIV protection
 |
| Rate of HIV (as of end of 2008) according to the CDC |
One possible goal is to establish this nanoparticle within a gel or lubricant to provide protection against the spread of HIV between heterosexual couples where one partner is infected and the other is not. The scientists in the study used their method with vaginal cell lines to show how effective this nanoparticle delivery system is.
This is quite interesting. It does lead to a whole host of possibilities (and questions, concerns, etc.).
This is BY FAR not the only venom that can be used in conjunction with nanoparticles as possible therapeutic reagents. An interesting report in the
Journal of Venom Research came out in 2012 that outlines some of the possibilities...you ought to take a quick look!
Nanoparticle-conjugated animal venom-toxins and their possible therapeutic potential
This is a very interesting post. I hope and pray that insect and amphibian venom reaches the potential to heal these illnesses as the articles say they do. Since it sounds so promising I’m wondering if there is adequate funding being directed towards the emerging field of nanomedicine.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to patients views on using venom as a medical treatment, I like what
Paracelsus, the 15th century philosopher, who was mentioned in the review, said – “In all things there is poison; there is nothing without poison. It only depends upon the doses, whether a poison is a poison or not”. This quote is very true for most modern medicines and treatments. Chemotherapy, drugs, pain-relievers, x-ray, etc. are all poisons when given in high doses. Just as the article Dr. Day-Storms posted last week about Mountain Dew; consuming anything in high doses is harmful to the body, regardless of what it is.
Aside from that, I am very excited to see what unfolds for this new research. I would have to say that these articles raise more questions for me than discussion, since so little is known about venom treatment. Among those questions, I am wondering with all the past studies the article mentioned about venom treatment or disease prevention, why hasn’t more research and funding been given to this possibility? And with all the billions of dollars of funding caner and HIV/AIDS research received, why has it taken so long for something as common as honeybee venom to be discovered as a possible treatment when there have been suggestions towards venom’s possible benefits for years?
In the scientific review, the possibility of snake venom to halt the reproduction of cancer cells was also mentioned. I am wondering if there are any significant studies going on to see if venom has enough potential to help eliminate HIV and cancer. It would be ironic to think that diseases/illnesses entered the world through a serpent, and that same animal could bring a world-wide cure of detrimental illnesses through its venom.
Ol' Paracelsus...scientist, astrologer, and the father of "Zinc".
DeleteI think that this was a very interesting article. Researchers discuss a new type of anti-viral therapy that comes from bee venom called melittin. There have been studies that specify that venom comes in contact with HIV virus interfering with the protective coat that makes HIV untouchable. My first concern with this venom toxins is the negative side effects. I agree with Mason on the fact that too much of anything can kill you. So how much of this venom is require to fight off such a strong virus like HIV? This is still venom does it have any risk factors that need to be associated with its antiviral therapy? Also, one of the major concerns I would have is the specific area that the anti-viral focuses on. If the cells are in the vaginal area but are only being tested in a petri dish doesn’t declare that it is safe in reality. I believe that the type of testing that needs to be done isn’t in a location that can be done. However I do believe that this is a very amazing idea to try to develop and hopefully one that will be successful in the future.
ReplyDeleteSo, I did some research on melittin and this isn't the first time it is being used to inhibit some type of cell membrane for a particular reason. For instance, studies show that melittin can help with cancer therapy because of its ability to permeate through the cell membrane to eventually cause cell death. Another source also states melittin is great for lyme disease, it didn't go into the specifics of how or what not but still. This article emphasizes the importance of melittin and how it could potentially be used to fight HIV in humans. I find it extremely interesting that they attempted a melittin treatment on vaginal cells to see what types of effects there would be on the cells. Since, in the article, it states that they studied the wall of the vagina because that is how HIV enters the body most. I remember when I was in India, there was a little 2 year old boy who was receiving snake venom as a cancer treatment for his leukemia. I think it is great that scientists are thinking outside of drug production to come up with treatments and cures. Natural sources would be the smartest way to approach any type of treatment. After all, everyone survived the olden days somehow.
ReplyDeleteThe ability to use something commonly found in nature is very ingenious. It kind of relates back to the article posted on curing cancer with HIV. We turn something around and use it for good. If this were to be a new way in fighting HIV, or at least the spread of it, it could definitely run across some problems. Mostly with the vaginal gel used and possibly people being allergic to not only the type of gel used, but also the venom itself. These are just some factors that might have to be overcome. There still has to be much more research done, but nonetheless it is still and amazing discovery.
ReplyDeleteI’m consistently amazed by the ingenuity of scientists. I wonder how that initial conversation went down; I’m sure whoever proposed this research experiment got quite a few questionable looks. I just cannot imagine the scenarios that led up to this discovery, but it is still astounding.
ReplyDeleteDue to the fact that melittin is known to degrade cell membranes, this was a risky approach. Through bioengineering; however, they were able to pack the venom components into nanoparticles that “lock-on” to the virus and attack its protein wall. The protein coat is then poked by the venom component, which leads to a decrease in the amount of viral cells. When tested on human cells, the venom components did not harm the human cells, only the virus. Of course these tests would need to be repeated multiple times, and many issues would have to be overcome before any type of drug could come out, but the results are promising.
They really focus on the prevention of HIV, but I'm curious how it could work on patients who are already infected. This would pose a problem, naturally, because HIV has been found in cells ranging from the T-cells the virus attacks to follicular dendritic cells. It is unpredictable and becomes integrated into the DNA of many cells. Though it may lay dormant, it would be a challenge to remove it from the DNA completely. Granted, it may be okay lying dormant if it stays that way, the problem is if it doesn't. Either way, I am curious if this venom is only effective on the live virus, or if it could somehow be effective on the dormant virus as well.
I found it very interesting that the researchers used bee venom to treat HIV. I wondered about the history of this treatment. How did the researchers determine that a specific component of bee venom would effectively attack HIV viruses? This study is takes advantage of a biological defense against viruses. A biological defenses against bacteria revolutionized medicine. Penicillin is a fungus's biological defense against bacterial infections. Penicillin has helped save thousands of lives. Bacterial infections are not as deadly as they once were. Anti-biotics in general have made possible treatments such as immunotherapy and bone marrow transplants. Without anti-biotics these treatments would not be possible. Bee venom is a biological defense against the HIV virus. What other biological defenses could we use to treat diseases? Different snake venoms have been shown to poke holes in other viruses. Venoms may be used to treat viral infections as commonly as anti-biotics are used to treat bacterial infections. Additionally, venoms are especially useful because viruses cannot easily adapt to them. Generally, venoms attack the protective protein shell of a virus. Viruses have to have some type of protective covering in order to survive. This is why venoms are such an exciting treatment. A major problem with anti-biotics is that they are becoming less effective. This is due to increasingly common anti-biotic resistant bacteria. Different treatments against bacteria are becoming increasingly important. This is why researchers must continue to search for biological defenses against disease. There is a continual arms race between infectious bacteria and viruses and our ability to prevent, treat, and cure the diseases they cause.
ReplyDeleteBee venom can actually knock out HIV-virus, sparing surrounding cells.
ReplyDeleteRead more here: http://www.apitoxin.se/research.html
The reason behind all of this medical interest in venom lies in the very reason it’s so dangerous, as Paracelsus reportedly observed (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/p/paracelsus300347.html). Venom is renowned for the potent physiological effects it has on the body. Drugs are renowned for the very same reason. The only difference is the direction of those effects. Thus, the thinking goes, by examining the components of venom and what they act on, one could formulate medicines that would use those compounds not for wanton cellular destruction, but for targeted treatment of an illness or disorder. As the above medicines demonstrate, this thinking clearly has brought fruit, and promises still more advances.
ReplyDeletePersonally, as a general biology major, I can’t help but find Takacs’ line of work extraordinarily fascinating, as a potential career path that doesn’t rely on government employment.