Botox is more than a fountain of youth: the neurotoxin can also relieve pain

Many people have their wrinkles removed with Botox to prevent aging. Botulinum neurotoxin A1 with the brand name Botox is a neurotoxin produced by bacteria. The substance blocks the signal transmission from nerves to muscles. This relaxes them and provides softer facial features for up to three months.

Botox is often used in medicine to treat conditions caused by cramped muscles or incorrect nerve signals. For example, against pain, bladder weakness or misalignment of the eyes. Botox is even used for stomach cancer.

The highly effective drug must be used very specifically and carefully in doses, because Botox is the most powerful natural neurotoxin that can lead to dangerous paralysis. Only about a hundred nanograms administered intravenously is enough to kill a person.

In a research project, a team led by Richard Kammerer of the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) investigated whether the effect of the poison can be influenced. The researchers developed various DARPins for this purpose. These are small, artificially produced proteins that function in the same way as antibodies. They looked for variants that specifically bind to the part of the Botox enzyme that is responsible for working on the nerves by cutting up certain proteins. The DARPins were intended to inhibit this function.

The experiments at PSI and at the University of Padua with the selected DARPins produced surprising results: the toxic effect of Botox – i.e. the splitting of proteins – started faster than normal, the paralyzing effect occurred more than twice as fast as in the normal case. The researchers suspect that the DARPin destabilizes the poison in such a way that it is transported more quickly to the interior of the nerve cell. As a result, the toxin works faster. According to research leader Kammerer, the result opens up new possibilities for the treatment of various diseases, especially in pain medicine.