Used for smoothening wrinkles, correcting frown lines, and combating the signs of aging, now it has been found that drugs applied for the Botox procedure can cause paralysis, as per a recent study by the researchers from the University of Queensland.
Botox is a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The treatment was initially developed for eye conditions such as strabismus and as a quick remedy to relieve migraine and chronic pain. However, in recent years, Botox treatment found uses in plastic surgeries and gained popularity in the cosmetic industry.
Although muscle paralysis was a known side effect of Botox treatment, earlier research could not identify how the neurotoxin worked to relax muscles.
In the latest study, the researchers evaluated how Clostridium botulinum damages the communication between the brain neurons, resulting in paralysis.
“We used super-resolution microscopy to show that a receptor called Synaptotagmin 1 binds to two other previously known clostridial neurotoxin receptors to form a tiny complex that sits on the plasma membrane of neurons,” Frederic Meunier, a lead-author of the study, said.
“The toxin hijacks this complex and enters the synaptic vesicles, which store neurotransmitters critical to communication between neurons. Botox then interrupts the communication between nerves and muscle cells, causing paralysis,” Meunier explained.
The discovery also opens the potential to identify new therapeutic targets for effective treatments of botulism--a rare but potentially fatal bacterial infection caused by Clostridium botulinum.
“Clostridial neurotoxins are among the most potent protein toxins known to humans. We now have a full picture of how these toxins are internalized to intoxicate neurons at therapeutically relevant concentrations,” Dr. Merja Joensuu, another co-researcher of the study from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, said.