I feel no pain
| 22 November, 2010 | Richard P. Grant |
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More from the Society for Neuroscience meeting:
Faculty Member David Adams is director of the Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University, Melbourne. His research on cone snail venom has led to development of a new analgesic against neuropathic pain. Cone snail toxins—conotoxins—are small peptides. David’s group engineered a proteolysis-resistant version by cyclizing alpha-conotoxin Vc1.11, which makes oral administration possible. Conotoxins have the potential to be extremely potent painkillers with minimal side effects, and David’s group is now working on increasing their potency by scanning mutagenesis.
I would like to note that Australia is the world’s primary repository of venomous creatures. It is good, then, to see this pharmacopeia of pain being put to constructive use for a change.
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Of course, the peptides from cone shell toxin may prove useful to relieve chronic pain originating from various clinical conditions. The patients suffering from chronic or neuropathic pain find it difficult to get relief by using common analgesic medications or NSAIDs, as these do not prevent the uncontrolled activation of pain pathways caused by nerve damage or deranged perception of pain caused by various alterations in the internal milieu. They just reduce the pain sensation by acting centrally. The need of alternative analgesics has always been there for various disorders and for palliative therapy.
The cone-toxin contains over 100 peptides some of which may act by blocking the membrane receptors and calcium ion channels in pain pathways. This may be analogous to the opioids. These peptides may be very potent in this respect, 100-fold more potent at inhibiting calcium channels via GABA-B receptor activation as has been claimed. Thus, this hold a good promise.
I just hold the view that with developing medical science we need newer antibiotics, and the same holds true for analgesics.
Vinod Nikhra, M.D.
http://www.vinodnikhra.com
http://www.nikhrafoundation.in
I’d agree with that. About four years ago I contracted pneumonia, with associated pleural effusion. I could barely breathe nor walk, with the pain. It was diagnosed, unbelievably, as a trapped nerve at first.
I asked a medic friend about long term pain management, and he said there isn’t any; just continued short term treatment. Not ideal.