In a new study researchers have developed a pill to relieve the pain. The pill is made from the chemical used by sea snail to catch its victim. The pill was found to be as effectual as morphine to relieve the most stern from of pain but without the additional risk of addiction.
Maritime cone snail makes saliva which contains a lethal dose of peptide toxin that help snail to catch sluggish creatures. It injects that toxin into the victim with its needle like teeth. Earlier researchers had transformed one of the chemical into pain reliever for human beings. Though, it had to be injected directly into the spinal cord that confines its usage.
In latest study a team of researchers guided by David Craik from the University of Queensland, Australia has developed a pill form of painkiller which can be taken orally. The customized compound was found to decrease stern pain in mice at a much lower dose than existing drugs, reported an article of Chemical and Engineering News.
Since long people have been adage that peptides make implausible medicine due to its effectiveness. Yet peptides are considered as poor drugs because they are not steady and could not be taken orally. This could be put to modify when it was found to stabilize the amino-acid chains by synthetically lashing the head to the tail, explained Professor Craik.
The pill could potentially transfigure the treatment of the sternest forms of pain and researchers’ team is keen to take their investigation further