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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The Secret of Spider venom

A Scientist team that led by the University of Arizona's researcher has discovered that venom of spiders in the genus Loxosceles, which contains about 100 spider species including the brown recluse. The finding has implications for understanding how the spider's sting impact on humans and the development of new treatments the bites.
Loxosceles laeta, a South American brown spider, is one of three species whose venom was tested by UA researchers and found to produce a different chemical product than scientists previously believed. (Picture from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/)
Brown recluse spider venom produces a different chemical product in the human body than scientists believed to cause a different reaction in the body. Reported by ScienceDaily, that the researchers found that some spiders can have serious detrimental effects toxic to humans. Like the brown recluse spider has a rare protein toxins that can cause a blackened lesion at the site of a bite wound, or a much less common, but more dangerous, systemic reaction in humans.

"This is not a protein that is usually found in the venom of poisonous animals," said Matthew Cordes, an associate professor in the UA's department of chemistry and biochemistry, who led the study, published in the PLOS ONE
journal on August 29, 2013 issue. Protein from spider venom was injected into the wound after the bite, attack phospholipid molecules. Molecule. Was a major component of cell membranes. Protein acts to cleave the head of lipids (fatty substances).

Scientists have long thought about the headless lipid molecule is linear and simple. The research team found that in the test tube, a protein toxin causes lipids to 'bend' into a ring structure at the loss of the head. Then, it generating a cyclical chemical product that is very different than the linear molecule it was assumed to produce.

Understanding how venom of brown recluse spider species produces harmful effects in humans is particularly relevant in Arizona, a hotbed for these spiders. "There are more variant species of Loxosceles here than anywhere else in the United States," said Matthew Cordes. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCIENCEDAILY | SEPTI | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 12092013]
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