A taro toxin has been found to help develop new drugs for heart disease
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Last Update: 2021-03-01
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Source: Internet
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Author: User
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, Oct. 27 (Xinhua Chen Wenxian Shangxuan) Taro in the ocean can use venom to kill fish and other prey. Israeli researchers have found that a tarotoxin has a unique mechanism of entry into force that could help develop new drugs to treat heart disease.
many toxic organisms secrete venom, in which the toxin often "clogs" potassium passages in the target body's cells, causing the target to paralyze or even die. Potassium channels are a structure in cells that allows potassium ions to enter and exit cells, regulating many of their physiological functions.
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and others recently published a paper in the National
Journal of the United States, saying they found that a tarotoxin has a unique mechanism of effect, it does not block the potassium channel, but let the water molecules flowing at the edge of the potassium channel increase, causing the potassium channel to collapse, thus also playing a role in preventing potassium ions from entering and leaving the cells.
that blocking the potassium passages of cells is harmful, but can sometimes be used to treat diseases, and now some heart drugs are based on this principle. However, drugs that block potassium channels often have some side effects.
researchers say that if small molecule drugs that work by affecting the perimeter of the potassium channel can be designed based on the effective mechanism of the above-mentioned tarotoxin, it is possible to achieve the same therapeutic effect through another mechanism, while avoiding the associated side effects.
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