In some myths, dragon’s blood is toxic and vile substance. In others, it has magical properties curing disease and making ordinary mortals invincible. When it comes to the blood of real-life Komodo dragons, both perspectives may contain a kernel of truth.
According to the paper published today in Biofilms and Microbiomes, a peptide that mimics a molecule is found in dragon blood may slay bacteria, helping wounds heal faster. Researchers tested the compound in mice with skin lesions and found the dragon-derived treatment helped the wounds close faster. When proven successful in human trials, it may one day provide a new weapon in the battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, that are becoming deadly as well as biofilms- tough clumps of bacteria that are often impervious to antibiotics.
Chasing the dragon:
Researchers from George Mason University have been searching for new antimicrobial agents. Though their labs focused on bacteriology and biochemistry, they are also bio prospectors, looking for novel medicinal compounds in the blood of alligators and other ancient organisms.
Researchers started they study with few tablespoons of Komodo dragon blood. They wrangled a dragon into a cage, so that veterinarian could draw blood from near its tail-far away from its toxic mouth. (Researchers also emphasized that no Komodo dragon, which are endangered, were harmed during this experiment)
Till recently, researchers thought that Komodo dragons killed prey with the sheer power of their filthy mouths, giving their dinner a deadly bacterial infection by way of a bite. However, this notion was in debate and the jury’s still out on whether Komodo dragons have the power to inflict insta-sepsis.
Bio-prospecting:
Researchers reasoned that Komodo dragons do harbor these noxious bacteria, they must also possess extra immune protection to avoid infection themselves. So they scanned the dragon’s blood and identified hundreds of compounds with potential microbe-fighting abilities. Of these, a peptide called- VK25 stood out. Prelim tests showed that it was able to kill bacteria, clear away biofilms and promote healing.
By producing the synthetic version of the peptide, called as DRGN-1, researchers tweaked VK25s’ structure differently to boost its effectiveness. They were then tested against two bacteria that most commonly affects skin wounds: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
Testing on mice:
Researchers placed a biofilm of these two bacteria over 6-millimeter- wide skin wounds in mice then measured how well the wounds healed when they were treated with DRGN-1 Vs VK25, LL-37 (an antimicrobial peptide found in all humans) or nothing at all.
4 days after the first treatment, the cuts doused with DRGN-1 were significantly smaller than those treated with others. By the 6th day the bacterial counts were significantly lower in the DRGN-1 and LL-37 groups than others. On day 11, the DRGN-1 wounds healed completely whereas the others had not.
Overall results suggest that DRGN-1 kills bacteria, dismantles biofilms and helps the body heal faster.
Researchers have also done safety and efficacy studies and shown that it’s not toxic. They are also working to scale up the safety and efficacy studies and seek funding to do clinical trials in humans.
t’s a long road from the laboratory to the pharmacy, and medicines that look promising in mouse studies often fail to work in humans. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as magic potions—even when they’re made from dragon’s blood.