In some cases they reversed the signs of established disease, meaning that the animals had better joint mobility and less inflammation in their joints. When the researchers treated rat models of the disease with iberiotoxin, they stopped the progression of the disease.
"Here, we investigated whether this venom component, called iberiotoxin, would be able to specifically block the FLS potassium channel and reduce the severity of the rheumatoid arthritis in rat models of the disease." Mark Tanner, a graduate student in the Beeton lab during the development of this project. One of the components in the venom of the scorpion called Buthus tamulus specifically blocks the potassium channel of FLS and not the channels in other cells such as those of the nervous system," said first author Dr. "Scorpion venom has hundreds of different components. Decades ago, scientists discovered this and realized that, if handled correctly, venoms also might have medicinal applications. They use the venoms to paralyze and kill prey. The flow of ions through the channels is necessary for the cells to carry out many of their essential functions.Īnimals such as scorpions have venoms that block potassium and other ion channels.
Potassium channels work by opening gates on the surface of cells that allow potassium ions - small charged atoms - to flow in and out of the cell.
"We wanted to find a way to block the channel to stop the cells damaging the joints." "In previous work, we identified a potassium channel on FLS of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and found that the channel was very important for the development of the disease," Beeton said.
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