Scorpion has welcome sting for heart patients as study finds venom could prevent bypass failures

The bark scorpion is not deadly but has a painful sting. It can grow up to 8cm long. It produces a potent toxin that could prove useful in heart bypass surgery

A toxin found in the venom of a fearsome scorpion could hold the key to reducing heart bypass failures, according to British researchers.
A bypass is performed to improve blood flow to the heart in people with severe coronary artery disease who are at risk of heart attack.
During the surgery a healthy artery or vein from another part of the body is connected  to the blocked coronary artery. The new passage routes oxygen-rich blood around the blockage to the heart muscle.
However, the bypass can fail if the vein graft becomes blocked. An obstruction can develop if the body's injury response causes too much cell growth.
Now scientists at the University of Leeds have found that the toxin margatoxin, which is found in the Central American bark scorpion, could provide a solution.
Research, published online in Cardiovascular Research, found the toxin to be at least 100 times more potent than any other compound at preventing vein graft failure.
It works by suppressing the blood vessel's natural response to injury so keeping the vein clear.
Lead author Professor Beech said the toxin's effectiveness took them by surprise.
'It’s staggeringly potent,' he said.
'We’re talking about needing very few molecules in order to obtain an effect.'

Professor Beech said margatoxin would probably be unsuitable as a drug that could be swallowed, inhaled or injected, but it could potentially be taken forward as a spray-on treatment to the vein itself once it’s been removed and is waiting to be grafted onto the heart.
According to the British Heart Foundation. who part funded the study, 25,000 coronary artery bypass grafts are carried out each year in the UK. In successful procedures they typically last around 10 to 15 years.