
Lizard Spit Helps Control Blood Sugar 40
m0smithslash writes "Over on Yahoo there is an article, Lizard Spit Drug Controls Diabetes, Cuts Weight which describes how 'Exenatide, an experimental diabetes drug derived from lizard saliva, not only controls patients' blood sugar levels but also cuts their weight.' I always thought it would be cool to have a pet lizard, and a vemonous one would be even better. Maybe I could save a lot of money on medications by just letting it bite me every so often. Of course here would also be a good place to put a plug in for not letting species go extinct."
Superficial Application? (Score:1)
Re:Superficial Application? (Score:2, Funny)
Another Cure from a Poison (Score:5, Interesting)
So much of what makes life interesting (spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) are poisonous defenses that various plants have built up to protect themselves from insects and other animals.
This development reminds me of earlier uses for snake venom, which, used carefully, can help treat various ailments.
Likewise capsacin, that can be used as a topical anesthesia.
If you're looking to preserve food, treat pain, create hallucinations, and cure illness, look at the poisons!
Re:Another Cure from a Poison (Score:4, Funny)
Personally I want to know what bright spark thought up that idea.
I once pulled a groin muscle playing raquetball. Went to the drugstore and of all the analgesic creams the capsicum based one was the most expensive. I figured that being the most expensive it obviously had to be the most effective as well.
I learned two things that day.
First, capsicum applied topically behaves the same as when you ingest it. At first you don't feel a thing. So you try a bit more. Still nothing. So you try even more. Then, when you have passed the point of no return, the burn starts. And gets worse. And worse. And worse...
Second, capsicum and the groin are two things that simply should not be combined. You can figure out the details for yourself.
I mean, it worked. I completely forgot about the muscle pain. I had much more interesing pains to worry about for the next few hours.
Re:Another Cure from a Poison (Score:2)
Actually, this is (sort of) exactly the mechanism by which capsaicin based topical treatments operate.
As a Type I diabetic... (Score:5, Funny)
...I for one welcome our new lizard-based pharmacueticals!
Until now, I've always need coffee to wake me in the morning, plus taking an injection of insulin. Now I can become wide awake and manage the blood sugar at the same time!
[P stumbles groggily into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes.]
P: *mumble*
[As his arm brushes the kitchen counter, a LIZARD darts forward and bits him.]
LIZARD: *snap*
P: *mumb*-GAAAAAAH! What the FUCK was th- oh, the lizard. Right.
Re:As a Type I diabetic... (Score:3, Funny)
Sucks to be you; the article says it's for type IIs, like me.
Type 2s Rule, Type 1s Drool...
Hey, here's a thought, maybe they should call it 'GlucoGilaPhage'. GGP!
Only for type 2? (Score:1)
Venomous Lizards? Not likely. (Score:2)
There are only 2 lizards with venom that is harmful to humans: the Gila Monster and it's cousin, the Mexican Beaded Lizard. They look similar. They have grooves in their teeth and when they byte, they grab onto their prey and shake it back and forth. This helps the venom slide down along the grooves in their teeth and into the wound.
If you really want a lizard that can byte, go for the Komodo Dragon. Of course, they can be over 10 ft long and might bite off
Re:Venomous Lizards? Not likely. (Score:2)
Re:Venomous Lizards? Not likely. (Score:4, Interesting)
My mind still boggles at the story of Sharon Stone's husband: Honey, I got you a birthday present! Get in the cage with that dinosaur! Oh, and take your shoes off first!
Re:Venomous Lizards? Not likely. (Score:2)
If you are a creationist, please ignore this post as komodo dragons, being large lizards, don't have to exist for you.
Re:Venomous Lizards? Not likely. (Score:1)
The perfect martini (Score:1)
Bite? No... (Score:1)
No, no need for pain. You just have to french kiss him once in a while.
Mmmm.......Doughnuts (Score:1)
About time (Score:3, Insightful)
Type 2 (Score:2)
After looking, the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study [nejm.org] is the one I read about.
Re:About time (Score:1)
Re:About time (Score:2)
That's a real bummer--not only is chocolate delicious, it can also lower blood pressure [www.cbc.ca].
Mozilla... (Score:4, Funny)
...the browser of choice for diabetics! ;-)
Sorry!
Oral-dermal delivery probably a bad idea (Score:1)
(Of course I realize all the above posts were funny, but I thought I'd state the obvious.)
Which brings up a point--when you isolate the chemical and purify it, how many liters of lizard saliva do you need for one dose? Maybe lizard ranching could be a growth industry!
Re:Oral-dermal delivery probably a bad idea (Score:2, Funny)
Finally, a practical application for Pavlov's experiment!
Re:Oral-dermal delivery probably a bad idea (Score:1)
Are gators close enough? (Score:2)
*SNXXXXxxxxxxxxxkkxkxkxkkxkxkxkxkxkxkx*
(Lameness Filter note: Before ya mod me as off-topic, look at my nickname.)
I dunno... (Score:3, Funny)
Amylin Pharmaceuticals (Score:1)
If you want to learn more about them or their medicines I suggest checking their website www.amylin.com [amylin.com] or check out the Yahoo! finance msg. board [yahoo.com]. Gotta wade through the typical signal/noise ratio on Yahoo, but there are quite a few intelligent posts that make it to that board.
Mechanism? (Score:2)
Tastes like tofu (Score:1)
Knowing you're eating lizard spit... (Score:2)
So would a lot of things, really. Maybe that's why so many Chinese folk are skinny, those herbal shops are scary. That's not a dig, I'm mostly Chinese, and, yes, I've had most of my fair share of weird herbal remedies.
The only problem with this drug are the side (Score:2, Funny)