Kayaks living in Central and South America are venomous snakes. Away from the hospital and antidotes you wouldn’t want to meet them in nature. But scientists are fascinated by these snakes and they have learned to use their poisons to produce medical adhesive. In this article you will learn about medical adhesive from snake venom.
Actually, they have created reptile-derived ‘super glue’ that stops bleeding in seconds using a visible light.
Batroxobin is an enzyme found in snake venom that promotes blood clotting. In fact, this is one of the ways kayak snake kills its victims – snake’s blood simply hardens inside victims veins. Nonetheless, scientists came up with a way to use such an effective substance – medical adhesive to stop various bleedings.
In fact, batroxobin has been used in surgery for quite some time. A few years ago, scientists mixed this enzyme with a nanofiber hydrogel, creating a syringe-injectable bandage. And it’s an amazing technology that allows you to stop bleeding quickly and safely during surgery. Unfortunately, many cases of bleeding occur outside the operating room.
The use of batroxobin enzyme in non-clinical settings is very complex. Now an international team of scientists has developed this into what we may see in first aid kits in the near future. Scientists incorporated batroxobin enzyme into the modified gelatin, creating a substance they themselves call bleeding-suppressing superglues. Basically, it is a gel that becomes very sticky when illuminated.
This medical gel promotes clotting and at the same time closes the wound. The user should squeeze the gel from the tube directly onto the wound and illuminate it with a flashlight. It is considered that a flashlight would be the most commonly used in this situation. The gel would become sticky as an adhesive and it will be washable.
The researchers tested their medical glue on rats. Medical adhesive from snake venom was effective in stopping very deep skin incisions, ruptured aortas, and kidney injuries. Clearly, not all of these tests were simulated as first aid outside the hospital.
The medical adhesive can be applied within 45 seconds and can reduce bleeding by as much as 78 percent. Adhesives from snake venom are also stronger than similar materials currently in use. This new biotechnology translates to less blood loss and more life-saving.
