Spiders are eight-legged creepy crawlies that some of us are petrified of. Most of us are cautious of spiders especially if we live in regions that are natural habitats for venomous spiders – like the Australian Funnel Web spider.
Native to Australia, the venom of these species of spiders can be dangerous to humans. But a protein from the venom may actually help humans greatly.
This peptide is called Hi1a which is present in the venom of these spiders and it blocks ion channels in the brain which play an important role in stroke-induced brain damage.
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Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide and 5 million people are left with a permanent disability due to brain injury caused due to a stroke.
While regular exercise and eating fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of a stroke, there are no remedies or drugs available to protect the brain from damage following a stroke, which often leaves stroke victims with paralysis or a weakness on one side of the body. Moreover, brain damage cause by a stroke often leads to a progressive decline in cognitive function along with problems relating to speech, behavioural changes and increases the risk of dementia two fold.
As there are no approved drugs for treating brain damage cause by oxygen deprivation to the brain during a stroke, researchers investigated the role of Hi1a in preventing brain damage caused by a stroke.
For their study, the researchers administered 2 nanograms per kilogram of Hi1a derived from three Australian Funnel Web spiders, to rats for up to 8 hours after the induction of a stroke.
The study found that the peptide provides protection to the brain tissue of the rats causing no damage to neurological and motor function.
During a stroke there is a quick drop in brain pH which activates the acid sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a). This is the key mediator of brain damage following a stroke.
The study revealed that Hi1a inhibits ASIC1a activation in a pH-independent and slowly reversible manner, thereby blocking the activation of ASIC1a in the brain.
The team also found the Hi1a peptide provides some protection to the core brain region most affected by oxygen deprivation which causes cells to die rapidly in the brain and is considered unrecoverable.
This study is the start of new strategies and studies to investigate the efficacy of H1a peptide in the prevention of brain injury induced by a stroke in humans.
Whether we like the funnel web spiders or not, it seems that in their venom lie answers which could prevent stroke induced brain damage in humans in the future.
Source: PNAS
