Brazilian Spider Toxin PnTx2-6 works like Viagra

A new discovery from the animal kingdom promises to help where Viagra and conventional impotence therapy do not.

This is no docile horny goat weed or ginko biloba. Meeting the unexpected source of these promises, the Brazilian wandering spider, you would do well to back away. This large and poisonous spider boasts the world's most lethal venom and delivers a gruesome death by oxygen deprivation, coupled with severe pain and loss of muscle control. Its only positive effect is a four hour long erection.

In the case of the Brazilian wandering spider, Phoneutria nigriventer, heightened sexual function comes at a great cost, but scientists have already set about removing the deadly side-effects. Dr. Kenia Nunes and her team of scientists from the Medical College of Georgia have isolated the toxin that causes these extended erections. The synthetic protein that they produced, known chemically as a peptide, was then tested on rats suffering from high blood-pressure and severe erectile dysfunction.

Not only did Dr. Nunes and her team produce painless erections for these laboratory rodents, the results may have wider implications yet.

Toxin PnTx2-6 produces erections

The spider toxin, PnTx2-6, produces erections by triggering the brain to open the valve to the erectile tissue so that blood may enter. This is very similar to the way that Viagra works, but Dr. Nunes has found that the spider toxin uses entirely different pathways in the brain to achieve the same physical response. She points out that these variations in the triggering substance could have tremendous significance for men who have been let down by currently available erectile dysfunction medicines.

"This is good because we know that some patients don't respond to conventional therapy. This could be an optional treatment for them," Dr. Nunes commented to MSNBC

Additionally, the way that PnTx2-6 works may have some important implications for women. The clitoris, much like the penis, has erectile tissue that becomes engorged with blood. Further research is necessary, but Dr. Kenia Nunes believes that this new substance could aid with the physical side of female sexual arousal. This would help the more than 20% of women who report lifelong arousal difficulties.

Dr. Nunes has published her findings in the December 2010 issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Next, she intends to study how PnTx2-6 may help women. There is still much research and paper work to do before the wonders of the Brazilian wandering spider are available over the counter, but if all goes well it should be available within a few years.

Past articles EDGuider has done on the Brazilian Spider & Toxin PnTx2-6:
EDGuider blog post on Spider Venom to help with Erections?
TX26 Venom from a Brazilian spider for Erectile Dysfunction