Interesting animals we overlook can just be as important as if our lives depends on it. I’ll like to give an interesting information about scorpions which are probably unknown to most people especially in the health related sphere.
We all know scorpions are predators that are easily recognized by their narrow segmented venomous tail that is often carried in a peculiar forward curve from the back. There are nearly 2000 species of scorpion found on all continents except Antarctica. Out of these species, only 25 are known to be dangerous enough to kill with their venom which is a mixture of compounds (neurotoxins, enzymes inhibitors, etc). All known scorpions use their venom primarily to kill or paralyze their prey so that it can be eaten and as well as a means of defense against higher predators.
THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER OF ALL THINGS IN SCORPIONS IS ITS VENOM
There is something more interesting about scorpion and their venom which I’m about to unveil in this write up. Even though this information may not be new in entirety to some readers however, it will be a good information for others who don’t.
In this picture is King cobra, bee, scorpion and shellfish. All are noted for the production of toxins
Scorpion Venom is practically the most expensive liquid on the planet earth and is ranked first among all venoms. A gallon (3.785 litres United State measurement) of scorpion venom is worth approx. $38,500,000 which is higher than the King Cobra venom valued at approximately $153,835 per gallon. It has been discovered that scorpion venom contained an estimated 5million bioactive compounds of high medicinal values. Bioactive compounds are chemical products obtained from plants and other living organisms that are useful for various applications ranging from biopharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food additives etc. Bioactive compounds are usually employed for use as templates for new drug formulations and productions. Scorpion venom is as a matter of fact nicknamed as “cocktail of bioactive compounds” because its medical application is unrivaled as it is diverse in its potential for medicinal revolution of therapeutics.
SOME OF ITS ATTRIBUTES AND APPLICATIONS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING
Scorpion venom has extraordinary antimicrobial activities that is useful as a molecular backbone to develop new antibiotics based on their specific antibacterial properties. In time past, bee venoms were known to possess efficient antimicrobial activities but this is not in comparison with the antimicrobial effect of the protein from scorpion toxin. For thousands of years, scorpions and their venoms have been applied in traditional medicine in China, India and Africa to treat various difficult miscellaneous infections and diseases. Modern day science has shown these toxins to be highly potent having discovered to be rich in important bioactive molecules such as peptides and proteins.
Scorpion venoms are good source of anticancer, it contains complex mixture of salts, nucleotides, biogenic amines and enzymes. An increasing number of studies have consistently shown that scorpion venom and its toxin can decrease the proliferation of cancer cells and also induce apoptosis and further inhibit the cancer progression, this is ultimately the mechanism of anticancer therapy. Over 10, 000 cancer patients has been listed among those treated with miracle drug obtained from blue scorpion and has since demonstrated positive result
Efficient use as Drug development template. Due to their medical relevance in traditional medicine, several drug candidates have been found among the toxin bioactive compounds with the potentials to tackle many of the emerging global medical threats
A recent published study has also reported that Scorpion venom can be used as apain killer This is expected to further revolutionize medical world of drugs. It has also been used in heart transplant surgery to reduce the risk of failure when transplantation occurs.
5.Natural pesticides: The venom can also be used as a natural pesticides. This pesticide has been shown to be even more eco-friendly than chemical pesticides because it contains toxins that can eradicate pest without harming the environment.
There are so many documented uses of scorpion as well as those in progress. However it is of note that not all scorpion venom is useful, only a few species has been researched and found to be of medicinal values and such research is still in development stage.
Nature is full of resources that man can use as a means of promoting health and vitality. This is more reason why we need to protect the environment as well as its various forms of life because we are yet to know which amongst the factors are going to be of help to man in times of serious epidemic and outbreaks of disease and infections
Thanks for reading
All Image were obtained from Pixabay
Reference
Wu Wl et al Zhongguo Research progress on medicinal values of scorpion venom components
Ding J et al Exp Biol med. Scorpion venoms as potential source of novel cancer therapeutic compounds
Ortiz E et al Scorpion venom component as potential candidates for drug development
Scorpion Peptides: Potential Use for New Drug Development - Hindawi
Great post and very interesting @deliniz. I especially like that you have provided links too! I used to work as an educator specialising in natural history and one of the things i always tried to stress was the value of biodiversity - e.g. how many potential medicines are out there that we stand to lose if we continue destroying habitats. You post is a good example!
Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, we do not lose anything if we keep and preserve the environment but we stand to lose everything if we keep on destroying the natural habitat
This is quite insightful. It's amazing how a killer venom could also be used to save lives once the right chemical extractions means are used.
I hope to research more on this.
Thats the beauty of science. Thanks for stopping by