Novel combination of carbon monoxide and iron
delays venom's damaging effects.
by Sara Hammond, Arizona Public Media
10/12/17
A University of Arizona College of Medicine
researcher has developed a therapy to delay or prevent the life-threatening effects
of being bitten by a rattlesnake or other venomous snakes.
Anesthesiologist Vance Nielsen tested a
combination of carbon monoxide and iron in animals. The treatment blocked the
venom’s effects for up to an hour. Dr. Nielsen's research was published in the
journals Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology and the Journal of
Thrombosis and Thrombolysis.
Snake venom destroys a protein that enables
blood to clot. Venom also can cause abnormally fast clotting, leading to heart
attack, stroke and organ damage. It's those conditions that can lead to a
person's death from a bite.
The new therapy can do more than provide time
for victims to get to a hospital for antivenom drugs.
“It may also play a role in supportive
therapy, especially with snakes, and there are many that don’t have antivenoms
available,” he said.
The therapy can be used to treat the bites of
multiple snake species found in North and South America and Africa, not just
the Western Diamondback rattlesnake.
Nielsen said the therapy still must undergo
human testing. He's working with Tech Launch Arizona to find commercial funding
for continued development.
The therapy could be stocked in ambulances
for use by first responders or carried in campers' and hikers' first aid kits.
The treatment will help horses, dogs and cats bitten by a snake.
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