Opossum Protein Antipoison?23:43 Jul 09 2012
Times Read: 523
Opossum protein neutralizes nearly all poisons, could have benefits for humans
By Eric Pfeiffer, Yahoo! News
The American opossum is invulnerable to nearly all forms of poison. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)Opossums may someday provide an antidote to nearly all forms of poison, including everything from snakebites to ricin.
The Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins has found that the American opossum produces a protein known as Lethal Toxin-Neutralizing Factor (LTNF). And as the Boing Boing blog points out, the LTNF protein is exactly what it sounds like, seeking out otherwise lethal poisons that have entered an opossum's body and neutralizing them.
Amazingly, tests on the opossum LTNF found that the protein even left the marsupial creatures immune to poisons from snakes on other continents that the American opossum had not been previously exposed to.
The BittelMeThis blog goes into further detail, explaining that scientists then injected mice with the LTNF protein and subjected the rodents to venom from otherwise deadly creatures, including Thailand cobras, Australian taipans, Brazilian rattlesnakes, scorpions and honeybees.
When the venom did not kill the mice, the mice were then exposed to deadly poisons, including ricin and botulinum toxin. And again, the LTNF protein was able to diffuse the poison, leaving the mice unharmed.
Interestingly, the journal entry on LTNF was published more than 10 years ago, in 1999. As several readers have pointed out, this raises questions as to whether the protein benefits would be applicable to humans and why the test results are only now making news.
As the journal's own abstract notes, "Thus, natural LTNF from opossum serum has potential as a universal therapy for envenomation caused by animals, plants and bacteria."
LINK
Reference:
LIPPS, B. V. ANTI-LETHAL FACTOR FROM OPOSSUM SERUM IS A POTENT ANTIDOTE FOR ANIMAL, PLANT AND BACTERIAL TOXINS. J. Venom. Anim. Toxins, 1999, vol.5, no.1, p.56-66. ISSN 0104-7930
COMMENTS
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LordFangor
00:11 Jul 10 2012
Possum, it's what's for dinner!
Oceanne
13:21 Jul 10 2012
It can take years to do experiments,tests and trials an idea.
Possums might be immune to poisons and everything but that doesnt stop them from transmitting disease such as EPM in horses etc...
DarkMuse
14:46 Sep 17 2012
WOW! I learn something everyday:). I just
thought they were ugly godforsaken creatures
that laid dead all over NC roadways, and the
ones I have tried to run off my back porch that
were just hideously ugly...nice to know that
may have some purpose in the world:)
temporary2
02:53 Sep 18 2012
Yep, everything is a double edged sword and must be carefully examined to see if the good out weighs the ill.