A deadly toxin produced by cone snails, one of the most venomous creatures on Earth, could pave the way for developing more effective drugs to treat diabetes, according to a recent study.
The venom, which is used by the snail to hunt prey, may also lead to treatments for other conditions related to hormone imbalances, offering a promising new avenue for pharmaceutical development.
Discovery of a Unique Hormone-Mimicking Toxin
Researchers from the University of Utah have identified a component in the venom of the Conus geographussnail that mimics a human hormone called somatostatin. This hormone play a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels and other important hormones within the human body. Somatostatin acts as a “brake” in various physiological processes, preventing blood sugar, hormone levels, and other molecules from rising to dangerously high levels.
The toxin, named consomatin, was discovered to work in a similarly way to somatostatin. However, it has distinct advantages that make it particularly attractive for drug development. Unlike the human hormone, consomatin is more stable and selective in its action, according to the study published in the journal Nature Communications.
Precision Targeting for Blood Sugar Regulation
The researchers found that consomatin interacts with one of the same proteins as somatostatin in human cells, but with much more specificity. While somatostatin affects several proteins, consomatin is highly selective, targeting only one. This precision targeting allows the toxin to regulate blood sugar levels without influencing other molecules, making it more efficient and less likely to cause unintended side effects.
Dr. Ho Yan Yeung, the study’s lead author, emphasized the significance of this discovery: “We think the cone snail developed this highly selective toxin to work together with the insulin-like toxin to bring down blood glucose to a really low level.”
This fine-tuned targeting is a breakthrough because even the most advanced synthetic drugs designed to regulate hormones, such as those for growth hormone regulation, do not offer this level of precision. As a result, the cone snail toxin could lead to better-targeted drugs with fewer side effects.
Potential for Long-Lasting Therapeutics
One of the key advantages of consomatin over the human hormone is its longevity in the body. Consomatin contains an unusual amino acid that makes it resistant to breakdown, meaning it stays active in the body for much longer than somatostatin.
This feature could be highly valuable for pharmaceutical researchers seeking to develop long-lasting treatments for diabetes and other endocrine disorders.
Professor Helena Safavi of the University of Utah, and senior author of the study, highlighted the importance of the toxin’s stability: “Venomous animals have, through evolution, fine-tuned venom components to hit a particular target in the prey and disrupt it. If you take one individual component out of the venom mixture and look at how it disrupts normal physiology, that pathway is often really relevant in disease.”
A Shortcut for Drug Development
The researchers believe that consomatin offers a significant advantage for drug design due to its evolutionary history. Over millions of year, the cone snail has refined this toxin to target specific physiological processes, making it a highly effective tool for regulating blood sugar. This evolutionary refinement gives pharmaceutical scientists a “shortcut” in developing new therapies.
Professor Safavi described this process as “a bit of a shortcut” for medicinal chemists, explaining that the cone snail has essentially turned its own version of somatostatin into a biological weapon. This evolutionary lineage makes consomatin particularly useful as a template for drug design.
Broader Implications for Endocrine Disorders
While the immediate application of consomatin is in the treatment of diabetes, the researchers believe that the cone snail venom may contain other compounds that regulate blood sugar in similar ways. The discovery of the somatostatin-like toxin suggests that other hormone-regulating toxins may be present in the venom.
“It means that there might not only be insulin and somatostatin-like toxins in the venom,” said Dr. Yeung. “There could potentially be other toxins that have glucose-regulating properties too.”
This possibility open the door for further research into the venom, which could uncover additional compounds with therapeutic potential for a wide range of endocrine disorders.
Evolution as Nature’s Chemist
While it may be surprising that a venomous snail can outperform human chemists in drug development, Professor Safavi pointed out that evolution has given cone snails a distinct advantage. Over millions of years, these creatures have refined their venom to be highly effective at targeting specific physiological processes, essentially making them expert “chemists.”
“We’ve been trying to do medicinal chemistry and drug development for a few hundred years, sometimes badly,” Professor Safavi noted. “Cone snails have had a lot of time to do it really well—and they are just really good chemists.
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