Researchers at James Cook University have discovered that venoms from two species of stonefish possess powerful immunosuppressive properties and could pave the way for the development of new drugs.
Lead author Dr Silvia Luiza Saggiomo was at JCU's Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine while conducting this research. She said inflammation is at the root of many serious conditions, such as cancers as well as autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.
"We know animal venoms can modulate immune processes which are typically associated with inflammation, so we wanted to investigate what uses we could find for stonefish," said Dr Saggiomo.
The researchers investigated the effects of venoms from two species of stonefish, the reef stonefish and the estuarine stonefish, using different immunological assays.
"We found the venoms reduced the activity of key inflammatory proteins linked to inflammation signalling in human cells, with the venom of the reef stonefish more potent and working at very low doses, when compared to the estuarine stonefish," said Dr Saggiomo.
She said the venom remained effective even when frozen or dried, meaning it could be stored long-term until needed.
"We also found the most powerful effects came from specific fractions of the venom, this indicates there are particular molecules in there that could be developed into drugs," said Dr Saggiomo.
She said the next step is to isolate and study the exact molecules responsible for the venom's effects, with the goal of developing them into medicines that could one day help patients with autoimmune or other inflammatory diseases.
Link to paper here.
