IMB researchers have identified a unique pain pathway targeted by a notorious Australian stinging tree and say it could point the way to new, non-opioid pain relief:
Professor Irina Vetter and her team have studied how toxins in the venom of the Gympie-Gympie tree cause intense pain that can last for weeks.
[...] "The gympietide toxin in the stinging tree has a similar structure to toxins produced by cone snails and spiders, but the similarity ends there," Professor Vetter said.
"This toxin causes pain in a way we've never seen before."
Many toxins cause pain by binding directly to sodium channels in sensory nerve cells, but the UQ researchers have found the gympietide toxin needs assistance to bind.
"It requires a partner protein called TMEM233 to function and in the absence of TMEM233 the toxin has no effect," Professor Vetter said.
"This was an unexpected finding and the first time we've seen a toxin that requires a partner to impact sodium channels."
The team is working to understand whether switching off this pain mechanism might lead to the development of new painkillers.
"The persistent pain the stinging tree toxins cause gives us hope that we can convert these compounds into new painkillers or anaesthetics which have long-lasting effects," Professor Vetter said.
Journal Reference:
Sina Jami, Jennifer R. Deuis, Tabea Klasfauseweh, et al. Pain-causing stinging nettle toxins target TMEM233 to modulate NaV1.7 function
(https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37963-2)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 09, @03:46AM
Once again, we see that the deck is stacked against us humans in Australia. The pics of the tree leaves at the main link are pretty scary.
I won't forget the time I stumbled into some stinging nettles in England. They looked like some benign stuff we have here (NE USA), but were in a whole different category of sharp, instant pain. But it didn't last too long. Don't really want to think about these Aussie trees with weeks of pain.
(Score: 3, Funny) by coolgopher on Friday June 09, @05:05AM (4 children)
Hey y'all, come visit! We have the best flora and fauna down here!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Friday June 09, @05:42PM (3 children)
While I've always been interested in visiting. The distance (cost to travel, time, etc.) and the sheer number of natural things that want to kill you have been fairly large detrimental factors.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by turgid on Friday June 09, @06:16PM
It's a real shame that supersonic planes went away. What we need is some transatmospheric hypersonic skip-glide vehicles.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 4, Funny) by deimtee on Friday June 09, @11:43PM (1 child)
It's not that they particularly want to kill you, it's just that they can. It's almost always a defense reaction, not predation on humans. The main exception being crocodiles. Those fuckers think you make a nice lunch. [i.redd.it]
Oh and I guess some of the snakes [bbc.com].
And the Drop Bears.
No problem is insoluble, but at Ksp = 2.943×10−25 Mercury Sulphide comes close.
(Score: 3, Funny) by coolgopher on Saturday June 10, @12:40AM
I would have called out that comic on being unrealistic since crocodiles are solitary hunters, except that's no longer the case [theguardian.com]. Anyway, come visit, feed our crocs for a once in a lifetime experience!