Anantidote is a substance that can counteract a form ofpoisoning.[1] The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον(pharmakon antidoton), "(medicine) given as a remedy". An older term in English which is now rare isatterlothe, derived from "atter" ("poison" or "venom").[2] Antidotes for anticoagulants are sometimes referred to asreversal agents.[3]
The antidotes for some particulartoxins are manufactured by injecting the toxin into an animal in small doses and extracting the resultingantibodies from the host animals' blood. This results in anantivenom that can be used to counteractvenom produced by certain species ofsnakes,spiders, and other venomous animals. Some animal venoms, especially those produced byarthropods (such as certainspiders,scorpions, andbees) are only potentially lethal when they provoke allergic reactions and induceanaphylactic shock; as such, there is no "antidote" for these venoms; however anaphylactic shock can be treated (e.g. withepinephrine).
Some other toxins have no known antidote. For example, the poisonbatrachotoxin – a highly poisonoussteroidal alkaloid derived from variouspoison dart frogs, certain beetles, and birds – has no antidote, and as a result, is often fatal if it enters the human body in sufficient quantities.
Ingested poisons are frequently treated by the oral administration ofactivated charcoal, whichadsorbs the poison and flushes it from the digestive tract, thereby removing a large part of the toxin. Poisons which are injected into the body (such as those from bites or stings from venomous animals) are usually treated by the use of a constriction band which limits the flow of lymph and/or blood to the area, thus slowing the circulation of the poison around the body.[4] This should not be confused with the use of atourniquet which cuts off blood flow completely – often leading to the loss of the limb.
In early 2019, a group of researchers in Australia published the finding of a newbox jellyfish venom antidote usingCRISPR.[5] The technology had been used to functionally inactivate genes in human cell lines and identify the peripheral membrane proteinATP2B1, a calcium transporting ATPase, as one host factor required for box jellyfish venomcytotoxicity.[6]
