Before its cosmetic applications were discovered, Botulinum toxin (BoNT) known as Botox, was one of the most lethal biological weapons. Utilized throughout World War II, the number of casualties caused by its inhalation made it an effective military tool for attack (Tatu, 2021). Once infected with Botulism, the body experiences progressive weakness until full-body paralysis occurs. This includes all the smooth muscle in the lungs and heart, leading to death by suffocation (Dhaked, 2010). Over the years, Botulinum toxin has been administered to treat various neurological and muscular conditions. Research on this neurotoxin continues to present new applications in the medical field (Grando and Zachary, 2018) however research on its detection methods and environmental impacts fails to reach similar standards (Dhaked, 2010).
Produced by the bacteria Clostridium Botulinum, this toxin’s chemical structure consists of a heavy and light chain. The heavy chain binds to the presynaptic membrane of the axon terminal, and the light chain breaks apart the proteins responsible for acetylcholine production; this neurotransmitter induces involuntary muscle movement (Benham, 1985).
Recent research has found that BoNT receptors are not limited to neuronal cells, thus expanding the possibilities of BoNT’s treatment applications. Recent studies have explored the treatment of hypertrophic scars using Botox and mesenchymal stem cells (Hu, et al., 2020). The traditional use of steroid cream to treat these scars is followed by numerous side effects. Mesenchymal stem cells have similar therapeutic effects to steroid cream, as it prevents tissue fibrosis development and promotes tissue repair (Hu, et al., 2020). Despite being unclear on BoNT’s inhibiting properties, scientists have connected these results to its ability to minimize scarring in primates, by preventing muscle and skin contraction during wound healing (Hu, et al., 2020). Botox inhibits the growth of hypertrophic-related fibroblasts which are responsible for the formation of connective tissue. Despite having been deemed effective in treating this condition, the high cost and number of regulations have not deemed it as a realistic replacement for steroid treatment (Hu, et al., 2020).
From an environmental perspective, Botulinum toxin does not pose the same benefits as seen in the medical field. Detection methods still rely on mouse bioassay to confirm contamination. This raises concerns regarding animal testing (Dhaked, 2010). In terms of cost, accessibility, and result accuracy, no alternative methods of detection, have been deemed superior to mouse bioassay (Nepal and Jeong, 2020).
Its effect on the human body is commonly understood however, many organisms such as species of fish and birds are equally as susceptible as humans (Espelund, 2014). For instance, Botulism is one of the most common causes of death for waterfowl (Vidal et al., 2013 cited in Espelund, 2014). Cattle and fish farms are both susceptible to botulism, decreasing food production, and contaminating surrounding ecosystems (Dhaked, 2010). Not affected organisms such as algae, plants, and invertebrates, still facilitate the toxins’ infiltration into food webs (Espelund, 2014).
For a drug whose only purpose was death, Botulinum toxin is proving to be just as effective as a means of recovery and health. A substance this threatening however, requires more efficient detection techniques, refraining from animal testing. Extended research on Botulinum toxin’s ability to substitute steroid treatments for other medical conditions should be researched, as well as its environmental impacts, and methods of recovery for ecosystems post-contamination.
References:
Benham, C., 1985. Acetylcholine activates an inward current in single mammalian smooth muscle cells. Nature, 316, pages 345–347. https://doi.org:10.1038/316345a0.
Dhaked, R., Singh, M., Singh, P. and Gupta, P., 2010. Botulinum toxin: Bioweapon & magic drug. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 132(5): 489–503. PMID: 21149997.
Espelund, M., 2014. Botulism Outbreaks In Natural Environments – An Update. Frontiers in Microbiology, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00287.
Grando, S. and Zachary, C., 2018. The non‐neuronal and nonmuscular effects of botulinum toxin: an opportunity for a deadly molecule to treat disease in the skin and beyond. British Journal of Dermatology, 178(5), pp.1011–1019. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.16080.
Hu, C., Tseng, Y., Lee, C., Chiou, C., Chuang, S., Yang, J. and Lee, O., 2020. Combination of mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium and botulinum toxin type A for treating human hypertrophic scars. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, 73(3), pp.516-527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2019.07.010.
Nepal, M.,and Jeong, T., 2020. Alternative Methods for Testing Botulinum Toxin: Current Status and Future Perspectives. Biomolecules and Therapeutics, 28(4): 302–310. doi: 10.4062/biomolther.2019.200.
Tatu, L. and Feugeas J., 2021. Botulinum Toxin in WW2 German and Allied Armies: Failures and Myths of Weaponization. European Neurology, 84 (1): 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1159/000512812.
Image References
Montal, M., 2010. Botulinum Neurotoxin: A Marvel of Protein Design. Available at: https://www.worldofmolecules.com/disease/botulinum-toxin-molecule.html (Accessed: 23 September 2023).
Paws, 2016. Progressive Animal Welfare Society. Available at: https://www.paws.org/resources/waterfowl/ (Accessed: 30 September 2023)
Comments
11 Responses to “Botulinum Toxin: A Toxin Of All Trades ”
Hi Filipa,
Let me start off by saying what an interesting and informative topic you have chosen. I have listed a few minor suggestions that hopefully you find helpful:
– The figure regarding the chemical composition of Botulinum toxin, “Heavy chain/light chain” should have a descriptive figure caption. It is also good practise to centre align the figure.
– It is also good practise to use a new “header” or to bold your references title to differentiate it from body text.
– Remember to make a comment on your own blog post explaining why you chose the topic, and its relevance to iSci content. From my observations, many iSci’s write something similar to: “Hi iSci…I chose to write about _____ after learning about it in ______ iCons etc. Thank you for reading and commenting.”
– As per the ARU Harvard guide, I would recommend removing the hyperlink on your references. This will change the font from blue to consistent with your other writing.
Overall, really great blog post. Thank you for sharing. I look forward to reading your final version!
Kind regards,
-Lucas M
Hi Lucas,
Thanks for your feedback, it was very helpful! I have made the changes you recommended!
Thanks,
Filipa
Hi iSci,
Thank you for reading my post! I hope you enjoyed it. Bacteria was discussed in life science, as we learned about the categorization of life and different domains and kingdoms. In earth science, we discussed crop yields, and how different factors affect it, thus I decided to focus on both a health and an environmental perspective. Some chemistry was incorporated to discuss the chemical structure of the toxin and what makes it so deadly. I also found it interesting how this toxin is able to treat even psychological conditions! I found Botulinum toxin through Raymond’s disease, which is one of the neurological disorders it is now being used to treat, after my mom was diagnosed. I appreciate any feedback!
Filipa
Hi Filipa,
This was a very well-written blog post. I loved learning about the many uses of botulism and its effects on not only humans but the environment as well. Here are some helpful hints to improve your draft.
– I know the placement of commas is often a personal preference however, I think they are slightly overused in the blog post which almost interrupts the flow of your writing. Read over the post a few times to determine whether the comma needs to be there or if it encourages the reader to pause where it’s not necessary.
– Throughout your in-text citations, make sure you keep the formatting consistent with Anglia Ruskin. I noticed that you occasionally use commas before the date and sometimes don’t. Be sure to also not to include page numbers in in-text citations and leave them for your references.
– I would reword the end of the first sentence in the paragraph to be a more clear transition into BoNT as a treatment. ex. “thus expanding the possibilities of BoNT’s usage as a treatment”.
– Instead of going broadly into BoNT’s many uses in the paragraph after the figure, I would love to see more in-depth information on specifically, how does BoNT treat hypertrophic scars. Again, completely personal preference but something to keep in mind.
– A Waterfowl is not a common species so I suggest adding a small description to provide the reader a mental image of what you are talking about.
– Lastly, you have such strong sources but just make sure to cite them properly. If they have a DOI, follow the Anglia Ruskin guide for citing DOIs rather than a website. More information can be found here: https://library.aru.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm
Be proud of your first blog post as you really did a great job! I can’t wait to come back and read the final copy 🙂
Happy editing!
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
Thank you so much for your comment!
I went back and removed some commas. Thank you as well for your help with citations; I have gone back and made the appropriate changes. I added a picture of waterfowl along with a short caption, as you recommended.
I appreciate your feedback!
Filipa 🙂
Hello Filipa,
I thought you did a very good job with this post. I am a little jealous actually, as this was on my list of ideas for future blog post topics. I’ve always been very interested by Botox, partially because of my mother who is an Occupational Therapist and uses it in her job. My first suggestion for you is that i would love for you to go into a little bit more detail about how Botox is used to treat neurological and muscular conditions as I think that could be very interesting. My second suggestion was already mentioned by Lucas though I wanted to expand on what he said. In regards to your image you do need to give a brief figure description, which you could do by moving the information from figure two and making it into your figure description. You may still want to add a few more details but that would definitely be a good start. Overall very informative and well written post!
Hi Sam,
Thanks for your feedback! I am also very interested in how this neurotoxin is used to treat neurological and muscular disorders, however it was very limiting to go into detail with the word count, and I wanted to incorporate other disciplines such as earth science, chemistry, etc. I also wanted to focus on newer applications that are not as commonly known about! My mom has Raynaud’s disease, so I understand your interest in the neurological and muscular disorders aspect of this topic! I have added a caption/ description to my image!
I appreciate your feedback,
Filipa 🙂
Hey Filipa,
This is a very well-written blog post. I loved how you included the biochemistry behind botulism. Here are my suggestions:
– You can introduce the acronym BoNT in the first sentence of the first paragraph instead of waiting until the sixth.
– In the last sentence of the first paragraph, I think the word “neurotoxin” is more appropriate and specific than just “toxin.” Feel free to switch between the two words to decrease repetition.
– Place a comma after “however” in paragraph 5, sentence 1.
Once again, great work!
Cheers,
Ayushma
Hi Ayushma,
Thank you for your comment! I really appreciate the feedback. I’ve made all the changes you recommended.
Thanks,
Filipa
Hi Filipa!
I loved this blog post, it was super interesting hearing about all of the different uses and impacts of Botox/botulism, as its something I feel like we all vaguely know about, but don’t know all the specifics of!
Some little nitpick-y things:
– Someone else mentioned comma usage and I think a section you can easily cut down on is in your fourth paragraph. You use the word “however” a few times, and you can cut down on that to reduce commas and improve flow. In the sentence, “From an environmental perspective, however, Botulinum toxin does not pose the same benefits as seen in the medical field.” You can remove the “however” altogether. In “Alternative methods of detection have been explored, however, in terms of cost, accessibility, and result accuracy, none have been deemed superior to mouse bioassay.” you can replace “, however,” with “, but” to cut down on a comma. Finally in this section, you can remove the comma in “Detection methods, still rely on mouse bioassay to confirm contamination.”
– In the fifth paragraph, the sentences feel a little bit out of order and you briefly lose some of the logical flow of the rest of the piece. You could rearrange the sentences, “Several organisms such as algae, plants, and invertebrates, are not affected but still facilitate the toxins’ infiltration into food webs (Espelund 2014). Cattle and fish farms are both susceptible to botulism, decreasing food production, and contaminating surrounding ecosystems (Dhaked, 2010).” to look something like “Cattle and fish farms are both susceptible to botulism, decreasing food production, and contaminating surrounding ecosystems (Dhaked, 2010). Even organisms that aren’t affected, such as algae, plants, and invertebrates, still facilitate the toxins’ infiltration into food webs (Espelund 2014).” This way you talk about impacted organisms all at the beginning and then end off with unimpacted organisms.
– To improve flow in the third paragraph, you can rewrite, “Botulinum toxin has been found to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. BoNTs have additionally proven to be effective in psychological conditions, such as migraines, and the management of depression (Grando and Zachary, 2018, pp. 1011-1019).” as one sentence, as it’s also not entirely clear those pieces of information come from that same source. Something like, “Botulinum toxin has been found to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, and have proven to be effective in treating psychological conditions such as migraines and depression (Grando and Zachary, 2018, pp. 1011-1019).” would help with flow.
– Finally, the portion on impacting the eco system and animal testing is super interesting and informative, but it feels like a bit of an unexpected topic change after talking about treatment applications. Maybe include a sentence in your first paragraph that ties these two ideas together, or introduces this as part of the overall topic.
Overall, great blog post! I’m excited to read more from you in the future.
Fireese
Hi Fireese,
Thank you so much for your comment! I have changed some of the sentence structures you mentioned above to improve the flow of my writing! I have gone back and reduced the number of commas, as well as mentioned the animal testing/ environmental perspective ideas in my introduction.
I appreciate your feedback!
Filipa