How does venom work?

Question

ok i want to be a herpetologist the gets the venom for the anti venom and further more studies so my question is its being tested to maby treat arthritis and cancer so explane how it can help or treat those two things?

Answer 1

The venom doesn't actually treat the arthritis or cancer. It treats the pain experienced by those suffering from the diseases. It is also used as a blood coagulant and blood thinner and for other medicinal uses this brief article from Columbia encyclopedia brushes upon. Also, the antivenin is produced by injecting farm animals such as goat and sheep with a small dose of the venom and extracting the antibodies that are produced to combat the lethal proteins and enzymes.

Answer 2

Animal venoms are complex compounds that come in different varieties (something for everyone). Neurotoxins block the nerve impulses that keep you breathing, your heart beating etc. Hemotoxins basically destroy your blood's ability to carry oxygen. Psychotoxins destroy flesh. Many animals have combinations of these. A lot of venoms have been discovered to have beneficial aspects to them and are being studied in the treatment of pain (bee venom is said to be a great painkiller) and a host of other ailments. Some of the most promising venoms come from marine creatures such as the cone snail. Marine venoms are some of the most complex and deadliest on earth but in dilute doses can help boost the immune system and otherwise help the body do things it normally couldn't do or couldn't do enough of. Venoms are invariably very complex chemically and we can't even begin to make them synthetically. Trouble is, a lot of the creatures that produce these venoms are being pushed to the edge of extinction.  

Answer 3

Different venoms work different ways.  The two big categories are neurotoxins (that mess with your nervous system) and hemotoxins (that damage your blood).