2023-07-23 15:04:00
Brazilian scientists from the Butantan Institute in São Paulo have found that the venom of the fish Thalassophryne nattereri is effective in controlling pneumonia caused by asthma. Based on the molecule, it will be possible in the future to develop new drugs for this disease. The results of the work were published in the Cells magazine, Day.Az reports with reference to Lenta.ru.
T. nattereri is a small fish that lives in the coastal waters of northern and northeastern Brazil. This animal has two dorsal and two lateral spines connected to poison glands at the base of the fins. When the fish is stepped on or touched, it injects a venom that causes severe pain, inflammation, which can also potentially lead to necrosis.
T. nattereri toxin began to be investigated as early as 1996 to develop therapeutic directions for people injured in accidents. It turned out that the poison contains a unique TnP peptide, which, in the course of further laboratory tests, showed anti-inflammatory properties.
During experiments on mice that were sick with bronchial asthma, TnP was administered to the experimental subjects. No airway hyperresponsiveness or lung remodeling was observed in these animals. The molecule acted systemically on secondary lymphoid organs and locally on the lungs, preventing the production of Th2 and Th17 cytokines. In addition, the subjects had reduced hyperplasia of mucus-producing cells and decreased subepithelial collagen deposition.
At this point, the team has applied for a patent. In the future, they plan to do more research to determine what other diseases TnP might affect.
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