Cone snail peptide shows promise for easier pain relief

Researchers at the universities of Innsbruck and Vienna have identified a peptide from cone snail venom that could help develop an alternative to conventional painkillers, ORF reported. The compound, known as AoIA, showed anti-inflammatory effects in tests on animals.

Cone snails use their venom to hunt prey and defend themselves, and its substances have been studied for decades. A team led by Harald Sitte of the University of Vienna’s Centre for Physiology and Pharmacology is investigating AoIA. Researchers from Innsbruck also contributed, including Mariana Spetea, head of the opioid research group at the university’s Institute of Pharmacy, and Helmut Schmidhammer.

The use of cone snail venom for pain relief is already known in research. Existing treatments, however, have had to be injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid. AoIA could be administered more easily, with an injection under the skin.

The peptide selectively inhibits the noradrenaline transporter, which can support the body’s natural pain-control system. Spetea said molecules isolated from cone snail venom could offer an alternative to opioids such as morphine, which are currently the most effective painkillers but carry significant risks, particularly misuse and dependence. AoIA did not show these properties in the animal model and could therefore have a lower addiction potential.

Researchers demonstrated the peptide’s mechanism of action and pain-relieving effects in mice. Further clinical studies are needed before AoIA can be used in humans. The findings were published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.