Spider bites usually cause itching and pain, but researchers have found that toxins in one arachnid's venom could be used as a powerful pain reliever. Researchers have discovered that a peptide found in a certain type of tarantula species contains pain-killing properties.    

Australian scientists have learned that the venom of the Peruvian green velvet tarantula contains a chain of amino acids called ProTx-II. The researchers from the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience presented their early findings at the Biophysical Society's 60th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

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Sónia Troeira Henriques is the study's senior research officer. She shared the research team wanted to study how the toxin works so they could learn how it could be used to design and optimize painkillers.

In the past venom from insects and animals such as the cone snail have resulted in effective pain relievers. When particular chemicals from animal venom are used to treat pain they can target receptors with pain, but do not cause the damage of a full venom cocktail.    

The researchers used 3D imaging to view the structure of ProTx-II and figure out where the "key" could be fit to end pain signals. They discovered that the peptide attached in neuron cells but could not find the exact receptor.  

They also learned the neuronal cell membrane could attract ProTx-II and other peptides to neuron cells. The researchers are tweaking the toxin so it would have fewer side-effects and could be used one day as a pain reliever.

John Bingham is associate professor of the University of Hawaii's department of molecular biosciences and biological engineering. He said that researchers are studying more venom toxins for new medical uses, according to ABC News. This could result in synthetic peptide production.   

The original toxins are often changed so the human body can absorb the chemical better. A smaller chemical compound with the same features is used to produce new drugs.  

In other painkiller news, Tennessee officials have warned about a strong painkiller that is marked as other drugs, according to NBC News. In recent months there have been two dozen cases of pills marked as less strong opiates when they contained the drug fentanyl. It causes a heroin-like effect and is cheaper for drug dealers to make illegally.

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