https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-deadly-shellfish-poisoning-has-no-antidote-a-protein-found-in-american-bullfrogs-could-change-that-180989365/
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“A Protein Found in American Bullfrogs Could Change That Skip to main content Search Shop Newsletters Renew Give a Gift Subscribe Membership i Subscribe Give a Gift Renew Sections Smart News History Science Innovation Arts & Culture Travel At the Smithsonian More from Smithsonian magazine Newsletters Photo Contest Podcast Videos Our Partners Smithsonian Store Smithsonian Journeys Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.”
“Protein analysis of the mice’s carcasses helped the team determine where the bullfrog protein traveled in the animals’ bodies.”
“This Deadly Shellfish Poisoning Has No Antidote.”
“Notably, giving just one jab with the protein one minute after poisoning allowed nine out of ten tested mice to avoid the toxin’s lethal effects.”
“Cooking or freezing seafood doesn’t kill saxitoxin, and affected shellfish look, smell and taste normal.”
““There’s a huge jump in taking something that works in mice and trying to develop it for humans,” Tarvin adds.”
“Saxitoxin blocks proteins called sodium ion channels located on the surfaces of cells.”
“A protein they make called saxiphilin can thwart the toxin in mice, researchers report in a study published in the journal Nature Communications on July 16.”
“It also has no known antidote—though something found in American bullfrogs might eventually change that.”
“Saxitoxin can accumulate in shellfish and cause a life-threatening illness called paralytic shellfish poisoning in people who eat contaminated seafood.”
“Minor hopes that this work inspires researchers to search for antidotes to other natural toxins.”
“But when the organisms grow out of control, they can transform into harmful “ red tide ” algal blooms that produce saxitoxin, a deadly substance that affects animals’ nervous systems.”
“To find a potential antidote, Minor and his colleagues conducted a series of experiments to see whether the bullfrog protein could protect mice given lethal doses of saxitoxin.”
“The protein acts like a “molecular sponge,” study co-author Daniel Minor , a biophysicist at the University of California, San Francisco, tells Lesley McClurg at KQED .”
“As a control, 13 animals received injections of the toxin, and nearly all developed poisoning symptoms, like limb paralysis, within three minutes and died soon after.”
““I thought that was sort of a comprehensive approach to assessing its potential for therapeutics.” Still, many more studies are needed to make sure the treatment would safely work as a real-life treatment.”