Ant venom, peptides, pain
Insect poison seems the least likely option for relieving people of pain. But understanding the principles of how exactly a small ant can cause severe pain is the foundation for studying the nature of its poison and creating powerful painkillers based on it.
Ants, pain, painkiller
Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) described in detailhow the West African ant Tetramorium africanum toxin works, and how its hyperactivity in cellular sodium channels manages to cause such intense pain to its victims. Understanding these principles has opened the way and prospects for targeted pain management.
Peptides derived from the venom of ants and related arthropods such as bees and wasps provide a rich and untapped source of interesting molecules that neuroscientists are using as tools to understand how ion channel targets work. They are also priority molecules for the development of drugs for neurological disorders such as chronic pain and epilepsy.
Dr Angelo Keramidas from the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University of Queensland in an interview with New Atlas.
In 2023, Keramidas and his team discovered how neurotoxic molecules from ant venom are able to bind to sodium channels in human cells, causing a “cacophony” of unpleasant symptoms, including inflammation and excessive sweating.
Now, by focusing on the venom peptide Ta3a and its effects on voltage-gated sodium channels and electrical overexcitation, researchers have uncovered the mechanism behind the bite that causes this discomfort. The discovery is part of a long-term study of venoms at the university, moving one step closer to finding an effective way to block acute and chronic pain signals. If plant adaptogens help the brainthen you can use the potential of insects for the body.
Direct speech in this section
Using electrophysiology, we were able to see that the toxin binds to the sodium channel and hijacks the channel's built-in activation mechanism, causing hyperactivity.
The result is an influx of negative ions attracted to the channel and a repulsion of positive ions, resulting in increased hyperactivity of the sodium channel – a phenomenon that we have never seen before.
This hyperactivity causes continuous activation of the pain signal, which explains the wild pain of an ant bite. The venom activates several channels in the membrane of nerve cells, and they remain active for a very long time, and their normal state cannot be simply “restored.” We believe that this overstimulation ultimately causes numbness at the site of the bite.
Dr. Angelo Keramidas
From poison to antidote
For years, scientists around the world have been focused on the complex details of the venom, hoping to find a way to turn human pain into gain. There are already many studies on the influence of molecules in poison on human well-being bees And OS And spiders.
Today it is reliably known that there are connections between toxins and nerve cells, and that certain effects of toxins cause pain and discomfort in the victim. However, in this study, scientists at the University of Queensland focus on the differences in the mechanisms of action of animal venoms.
In the latest study, the scientists focused on ion channels, or voltage-gated sodium channels. This pathway plays a critical role in how pain is felt after a bite.
Direct speech in this section
I became more involved in venom peptide research because I became more interested in the ion channels that peptides often act on. We found that ant venom peptides are structurally different from venom peptides of other arthropods. Ant venom peptides also affect ion channels in unique and even slightly strange ways.
This channel is a key molecular mediator of electrical signaling in the brain and sensory neurons that transmit pain. The results of the new paper reveal a mechanism of action that has never been observed before and may be unique to these types of poisonous peptides.
Treatment strategies target specific causes of pain, and since there are many causes, interventions occur at different levels. Of course, there are causes of pain that are more common in society than others, so there will be treatments that benefit more people. We are currently studying the details of these processes at the molecular level. As our understanding of these processes develops, new pain relief strategies will be developed.
Dr. Angelo Keramidas
Signal transmission. Pain and more
Like the human brain, the complexity of pain signaling is enormous, involves many contributing factors, and is highly personalized. However, understanding pain at the molecular, biochemical level increases our chances of developing more effective drugs and treatments that target specific mechanisms, such as overstimulation of sodium channels.
And while this step may seem microscopic, painstakingly slow for progress, there is good reason to expect that this kind of research and drug development will be accelerated by technology. After all, AlphaFold3's artificial intelligence system excels at predicting and modeling protein structures.
According to Keramidas, we have only scratched the surface of the enormous potential of AI research and development.
If AI algorithms can help us reverse engineer natural peptides to produce only the desired effects in ion channels, then precise treatments for a range of neurological disorders could be achieved much more quickly. This technology has already been launched. We'll likely see more AI-designed drugs in the near future, including peptides.
Dr. Angelo Keramidas
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