• A toxin in scorpion venom causes excruciating pain to victims in part because the slight acidity of scorpion venom aids in activating a pain pathway, according to a combined team of researchers from the U.S. and China.

• While scientists have extensively studied pain receptors, researching pharmacological tools and drug candidates, less is known about the specific mechanisms that underlie the acute pain associated with scorpion stings.

• Much like other venomous species including spiders, snakes, and sea anemones, scorpions use a cocktail of toxins and their painful jabs deter much larger potential predators.

• One toxin, BmPO1, is known to target the TRPV1 ion channel to produce pain.

• It emerged that BmPO1 activated the pain pathway at extremely high concentrations that don’t naturally occur in scorpion venom.

• The recent study found that the marginally acidic (at a pH of 6.5) venom allows it to donate subatomic particles called protons, which work in tandem with BmPO1 to “unlock” the TRPV1 ion gate and induce pain.

Source:TH