A team of scientists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has discovered that a mutant toxin in the venom of the Indian Red Scorpion (Mesobuthus tamalus) can inhibit breast, skin and prostate cancer.
It is the Tamapin toxin that is found in the venom of this species of scorpion. The toxin was modified by Mexican scientists, who showed that, after the modification, it could inhibit the migration of some types of cancer cells.
“Tamapine produces a “blocking” of the movement of malignant cells from 60 to 70 percent using a small concentration of the Mesobuthus tamulus toxin, specifically for certain types of cancer: breast, skin and prostate”
point the study authors.
Scientists also found other mutant toxins with the same effect, but none as effective as the double Tamapin mutant.
At the moment, the results of the experiment are encouraging to obtain a drug against these three types of cancer in the future, but for this, scientific studies must be further deepened.
“We must put our feet on the ground because obtaining a drug takes a long time. We believe that we can inhibit metastasis, but we must be cautious. We do not want to generate false hopes for the immediate future, but we are trying to improve the lives of people with this disease”
the scientists conclude.
