Tarantula venom may help heart patients

An ingredient in tarantula venom could help save the lives of people with a common heart condition, new research shows.

Scientists found that a small protein building block, or peptide, in the poison can stop the chaotic disruption of the heart's natural rhythm called atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation, or AF, is a form of irregular heartbeat which causes the blood to pool and clot, leading to strokes. It causes about 15% of strokes and is a common complication of heart conditions.

The researchers discovered that the peptide stops artificially induced AF in rabbits.

The peptide, known as GsMtx-4, blocks heart muscle cell "gateways" which control the access of certain electrically charged atoms.

Frederick Sachs and colleagues, from the State University of New York in Buffalo, has reported the findings in the journal Nature.

They wrote: "We believe that GsMtx-4 could be the first of a new class of anti-arrhythmic agents to be directed against the causes rather than the symptoms of fibrillation"