the region. There was a widespread belief that the Gila
Monster could cause illness, whereas the Apaches
considered its breath to be deadly, and that it’s
appearance was a portent of rain. Elsewhere, its skin was
thought to be endowed with healing powers, while the
Navajos credited the Gila Monster with being the original
medicine man. Perhaps this was responsible for the
interest in Gila Monster venom as a homeopathic remedy
that began in the late 1880s. At one time, the Mormon
pioneers were so convinced of the curative properties of
Gila Monster oil (produced by boiling the unfortunate
animals for three days) that they encouraged bathing in it.
The meat was also purported by local peoples to act as an
aphrodisiac, and in a strange twist, modern researchers
have since found that the venom does indeed contain
peptides which have a vasodilatory effect in mammals,
facilitating male erection and perhaps also assisting to
prepare the female for sexual activity.
leading to the production of a synthetic version to combat
type 2 diabetes. The drug exenatide, launched in 2005, is
now used by millions of diabetics to control blood sugar
levels and assist with weight loss, and has generated
annual revenue in excess of US $750 million. Exenatide
may also be valuable in the treatment of Parkinson’s
Disease.
But the amazing pharmacological potential of Gila
Monster venom doesn’t stop there. Helodermin, another
bioactive peptide present only in the venom of
H. suspectum, has the ability to inhibit lung cancer cells,
while gilatide (a smaller molecule derived from
exendin-4) has been demonstrated to dramatically
improve memory in mice, and may perhaps be crucial in
countering Alzheimer’s Disease and ADHD.
Recommended Reading.
Just what else does helodermatid venom contain? It is
composed of a cocktail of chemicals, largely proteins,
including four toxins that are responsible for producing
intense pain, hypotension, oedema and internal
haemorrhage. But it is the bioactive peptides, first
discovered in the 1980s, that have really piqued the
interest of researchers. These mimic the actions of
mammalian hormones, and one of them, exendin-4
(found only in Gila Monster venom), proved to be better
at stimulating insulin release than its human counterpart,
Beck, Daniel B., 2005, Biology of Gila Monsters and
Beaded Lizards, University of California Press,
California, 212pp.
Gila Monster (H. Suspectum).
Image by Rosa Jay.