Spider venoms can contain more than 3,000 molecules. Most of them are small neurotoxins, i.e. toxins that affect the nervous system of enemies or prey – mostly insects. According to Lüddecke, it was known that the poison mixture probably also contains enzymes, but no systematic search for them had been carried out yet. The LOEWE working group has now, for the first time, evaluated raw data from all spiders whose venoms have been analyzed so far.
According to Lüddecke, the results not only enable new investigations into the evolution of spiders, but also open up perspectives on the use of the venom components. Study lead author Josephine Dresler says: “Some enzymes that we have identified could be used, for example, in detergents or waste disposal due to their fat-splitting or protein-degrading effects.”
