Cone Snails

. Saturday, May 26, 2007
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Have you ever wondered how those lazy small snails catch their prey?
Well, here is how they do...



Cone snails are some of the most amazing creatures in the world of marine animals. Very little is known about them. They have a mind-blowing variety of toxins. These toxins are usually about 12 to 30 amino acid residues long with unusually large numbers of disulphide bridges. The toxins are so diverse that no two species of cone snails have same toxins. Even the composition of different toxins in their venom differs.

The pharmaceutical potential of some of these toxins have been identified and are in clinical and preclinical studies. These toxins can be used in the treatment of various diseases, from hypertension to depression.

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