New Colombian Spider Toxin Blocks Sodium Channels with Pharmacological Potential | Research

The takeaway

The vrdg183 toxin from Colombian tarantula Pamphobeteus verdolaga inhibits voltage-gated sodium channels, adding to the library of spider venom peptides with therapeutic potential for pain and neurological disorders.

New VGSC blocker
Colombian spider yields a novel sodium channel-targeting toxin with therapeutic potential for pain and neurological disorders

What the researchers found

Vrdg183 from P. verdolaga inhibits mammalian voltage-gated sodium channels with pharmacological potential for pain and neurological applications.

Why it matters

Sodium channel-targeting drugs (like local anesthetics and anticonvulsants) have limitations. Spider venom peptides often achieve superior selectivity for specific channel subtypes.

How the study worked

Venom fractionation, toxin identification, electrophysiological characterization of sodium channel inhibition.

What this study cannot tell us

Early-stage characterization. Specific channel subtype selectivity needs detailed mapping. In vivo potential not assessed.

How to read the evidence

Discovery-stage toxin characterization. Novel compound needing further selectivity and in vivo evaluation.

When this study was published

Published in 2025.

The bigger picture

South American spiders represent an underexplored venom library for drug discovery, with diverse toxin repertoires targeting therapeutically relevant ion channels.

Questions still open

Does vrdg183 selectively target pain-relevant Nav1.7 over cardiac Nav1.5?
Could this toxin be modified for improved drug-like properties?
What other bioactive peptides does this spider species produce?

Common questions

Why are spider toxins useful for medicine?

Spider venom peptides have evolved to precisely target ion channels in nerves. Drugs for pain, epilepsy, and heart rhythm already work on these same channels, but spider toxins often achieve better precision.

Is this drug available?

No, this is early-stage discovery. The toxin needs extensive optimization and testing before it could become a medicine.

Read the original research

The new vrdg183 toxin from the Colombian spider Pamphobeteus verdolaga inhibits L-type Ca2+ currents through an allosteric mechanism.

European journal of pharmacology, 1014, 178524

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Gómez-Restrepo, Alejandro; Rojas-Palomino, Jessica; Salinas-Restrepo, Cristian; Segura, César; Saurith-Coronell, Oscar A; Márquez-Brazón, Edgar A; Giraldo, Marco A; Calderón, Juan C. (2026). The new vrdg183 toxin from the Colombian spider Pamphobeteus verdolaga inhibits L-type Ca2+ currents through an allosteric mechanism.. European journal of pharmacology, 1014, 178524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178524