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The venom of one of the world’s deadliest spiders could lead to a potentially life-saving treatment for heart attack victims.
Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney are developing a drug candidate derived from a molecule found in the venom of the Fraser Island funnel-web spider.
A protein, Hi1a, could block so-called death signals sent to cells after cardiac arrest that causes heart cell death, according to a study recently published in Circulation magazine. Currently, there is no drug in clinical use that stops the damage caused by heart attacks.
“After a heart attack, blood flow to the heart is reduced, resulting in a lack of oxygen in the heart muscle,” said Nathan Palpant, professor at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland and author of the study. in a report.
“Despite decades of research, no one has been able to develop a drug that stops this signal of death in heart cells, which is one of the reasons heart disease continues to be the leading cause of deaths worldwide, ”Palpant said.
The researchers used Hi1a to beat human heart cells exposed to the stress of a heart attack to see if the drug improved their chances of survival.
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“The Hi1a protein in spider venom blocks the acid-sensing ion channels in the heart, so the death message is blocked, cell death is reduced, and we see improved survival of heart cells,” Palpant said.
Researchers hope to conduct human clinical trials for a drug candidate to treat stroke and heart disease within the next 2-3 years.
Hi1a could potentially be used by first responders to treat heart attack victims, improve the chances of successful heart transplants, and increase the distance to which donor hearts can be transported.
The spider species is considered one most dangerous in the world by some scientists, because poisonous spiders are equipped with large powerful fangs capable of penetrating fingernails and soft shoes. There have been 26 recorded deaths in Australia over the past 100 years due to bites from poisonous funnel-shaped spiders.
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