Introduction

When you think about muscles, you might only consider those that help you run, jump, move your eyes to read, or turn your head to listen to someone. Those are all voluntary muscles that you can control. But, arguably even more important are the involuntary muscles in your body. Your involuntary muscles keep your heart, your digestive system, and your lungs working, without you having to think about it. All your muscles are important to keep your body working in ways that keep you alive, whether they help you tell someone what you need, or help you to breathe.

How Toxins Affect Muscles

Muscle contraction is controlled by a balance of molecules that move in and out of cells. Those tiny molecules, called ions, change the charge found inside and outside of muscle cells. This means that any molecules that change that charge can have a huge effect on how your muscles work. Certain toxins, such as those found in scorpion venom, can block some of the channels in your muscle cells that allow ions to enter or leave the cell. If channels are blocked and ions can no longer move in and out of the cell, your muscles can become paralyzed. Not only would this affect your ability to move, but it could also affect your involuntary muscles, causing your heart to stop beating, or keeping you from breathing.

Antivenoms and Antibodies to the Rescue

But, even if you have toxins in your body, all is not yet lost. Antivenoms and other antibodies have been developed that can neutralize, or sort of cancel, the effects of some of these toxins, even after you’ve been stung or bitten. By neutralizing the toxins, the antivenom is able to keep the toxins from blocking the ion channels in those muscles, so you can keep running, talking, or breathing.