A new study on spider venom by researchers at the University of Galway‘s School of Natural Sciences could help with future drug discovery, its authors have said.
The research, published on Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters, analysed the venoms of more than 70 spider species.
Dr Kevin Healy, senior author and head of the macroecology lab at the School of Natural Sciences, said the study will help people to “understand the evolution of spider venoms” and “how some venoms may be of particular interest for future drug discovery”.
“Venoms, in general, are actually a really good place to go look for new drugs,” Dr Healy told The Irish Times.
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“As a resource, they’re incredible.”
He explained that the biomolecules in venoms have evolved to perform many functions, such as lowering blood pressure or disrupting the circulatory system. Scientists can “see the exact molecules in there, and then see how effective they are”.
Venom could also potentially be used as an antimicrobial, an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth. In order to prevent spiders from getting an infection, there are often “lots of antimicrobial molecules” in their venom glands, Dr Healy said.
Dr Michel Dugon, head of the Venom Systems Lab at the university’s Ryan Institute, added: “By understanding the fundamental drivers of venom evolution, we can better predict the types of biomolecules in spider venoms that have yet to be explored for drug discovery.”
The researchers discovered that diet is one of the most important drivers influencing the potency of spider venom. They found that spider venoms are “prey-specific”.
“That means they are evolved to kill the thing they eat, they’re not just evolved to kill things,” Dr Healy said.
He noted that a Brazilian wandering spider, for example, is dangerous to humans because we are mammals.
“They feed on some small mammals, and so their venoms have components in them that are really, really good at disrupting mammal physiology. So while they don’t prey on us, they kill things similar enough to us to make them dangerous to us.”
By comparison, a giant house spider generally isn’t dangerous to humans because it “simply doesn’t feed on anything related to us”.
Brazilian wandering spiders are not found in Ireland.
“You do have to go down to South America, or at least the American continent, to get in trouble with one of those,” Dr Healy said.
Another venomous spider not typically found in Ireland is the black widow, however one of its relatives – the false widow – poses a risk here.
“They’re not the same ... but they are related and they do have pretty potent venom,” he said.
