Yeah, that’s really the spider but relax, they’ve found a way to synthesize the toxin in a lab.

Scientists are looking into a new potential treatment for erectile dysfunction and the source may come as a shock: spider venom. Brazilian wandering spider venom to be exact.

Doctors noticed that virtually all male ER patients who had been bitten by the spider shared a very -stiff- side effect, and that got their spidey senses tingling. Now, the Brazilian wandering spider is the current Guinness World Record holder for being the most venomous spider known to man so don’t go messing with one of these bad boys on your own (not that you’d want to anyway…did you see the photo?), but recent studies have shown that one element of the venom displayed promising results in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

The component of the venom that researchers are most interested in is a toxin called Tx2-6. To understand how this toxin affects ED symptoms, we need a little crash course on how erections work. Erections happen when the male body releases nitric oxide, which triggers chemical reactions that relax the smooth muscles in the arteries of the penis, thus allowing increased blood flow. One of the chemical reactions triggers the release of a molecule called cGMP, which sends out signals to keep the smooth muscle relaxed – that’s how an erection is maintained. To get rid of an erection, the body also produces a chemical called PDE5, which breaks down the cGMP. In other words, PDE5 is necessary to regulate erections, but too much of it can prevent them from happening at all. This is where Tx2-6 draws a distinction from other ED drugs.

Traditional ED drugs on the market today work by inhibiting PDE5 receptors. While this does work most of the time, it can also cause side effects like priapism due to the lack of PDE5. In addition, not all men respond to PDE5 inhibitors, thus rendering the drug ineffective. Tx2-6, on the other hand, doesn’t do anything to inhibit PDE5. Instead, it triggers the release of nitric oxide, the very beginning of the whole process. This makes Tx2-6 a promising new tool in the treatment of ED, especially for men who have not had success with other drugs.

In studies with mice, a synthesized version of Tx2-6 has been successful on mice with diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as elderly mice. This is a promising find, but it will be some time before human trials can begin. In the meantime, it’s important to talk with your urologist if you think you might have symptoms of ED. If you are looking for a urologist in Las Vegas, contact the experienced professionals at the office of Dr. Michael S. Kaplan at (702) 454-6226.