Poisonous sea anemone as a basis for medicine

In Australia, you will find quite a few animals and plants that could cost you your life, but one of them may prove capable of doing the exact opposite.

It is a poisonous sea anemone that can reach about 8 to 10 centimeters. Unlike a snake, where the venom is delivered via fangs, you’ll find this sea anemone’s venom in all sorts of stinging cells spread throughout the structure. The resulting poison is an impressive chemical mixture of substances whose composition differs depending on their location and function – defense, for example, or the digestion of food.

The use of toxins in medicines has been around for a very long time and new substances are still being discovered. Where the focus was first on substances that are used for defence, substances that cause pain and with which pain medications can be produced, the focus is now increasingly on toxins that have a different function. Also in this sea anemone.

In the end, a recent study found 84 poisons with medical potential, one of which has never been discovered before. Because this compound in the sea anemone plays a role in digestion, researchers believe it could be proteins that help burn fat or proteins that have something to do with muscle contraction. It has now been sent to a specialized laboratory in Hungary, where it will be examined whether it can ever be used to benefit our health.

Read more: Venomous Australian sea anemone may lead to life-saving medicine†