Wasps will help cure cancer
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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British scientists have discovered that the substances contained in the venom of the Brazilian wasps will help cure cancer, while remaining harmless to the body. The poison of these insects destroys malignant cells, while completely not interacting with normal cells. Scientists have established that the poison enters into a relationship with the envelope of malignant cells, thereby causing their death.
Experts also noted that understanding the principle of the protein, which is part of the wasp venom, will help it adapt to human treatment. As already noted, the poison reacts exclusively to cancer cells and does not harm healthy tissues, which indicates that preparations based on such a poison can be safe for humans. Still, scientists expect a large amount of work ahead, since it is necessary to conduct an experiment, not one, to confirm all the experts' assumptions and prove not only the effectiveness, but also the safety of such drugs.
By the way, the ability of the venom of the Brazilian wasp was discovered long ago, more than 5 years ago, when a group of specialists discovered that substances entering the poison of the insect literally tear apart the malignant cells.
Continued research in this field has shown that such a poison effectively fights against such oncological diseases as leukemia, prostate cancer, bladder cancer. However, at that time, scientists were unable to identify the principle of toxins.
Paul Beals with a team of scientists from the University of Great Britain decided to continue the work of his colleagues and learn how the wasp venom acts.
To achieve this goal, scientists have tracked the effect of poison on cancer and normal cells at the molecular level.
Specialists suggested that the selective effect of wasp toxins can be associated with the cell membrane, since the structure of normal and malignant cells is significantly different.
In the shell of normal cells contains two layers of fats with different molecular composition, when a malignant transformation occurs, a violation of the composition of the shell and quite often molecules of one layer of fat fall into another.
Beals and his team found that in the outer shell of the cancer cell appears phosphaditylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine, they attract molecules of poison to themselves.
Further, the poison, attaching to the cancer cell, makes the structure of the shell porous, in other words, "leaky", while the pore size increases all the time, as well as the number of molecules that destroy malignant cells. As a result, the membrane dissolves and the cell dies.
Experts hope that the poison of the Brazilian wasp (or one of the components) can become the basis for future anticancer drugs, in addition, scientists believe that it is possible to develop a synthetic analogue.
The medicine on the basis of poison, according to scientists, will be much less toxic and cause fewer side effects, it will also be possible to avoid the death of a huge number of healthy cells, which is happening today with patients of oncology centers that are undergoing the most effective treatment so far - radio and chemotherapy .