Botulinum Toxin Research Paper

BOTULINUM TOXIN Society is obsessed with the aging process; but, aging is inevitable. Staying youthful

and beautiful is no longer enough, for beauty equates with power and control; those compelling

commodities are more influential than anything else society clings too. Botulinum toxin is

revered to be the non-surgical remedy for society’s plan for prolonged youthfulness. This toxin

is viewed as the best solution for turning back the clock of the aging process. Yet this poison of

perfection has a sinister history.

The neurotoxins produced by the Clostridia species are among the most potent toxins

known. Botulinum toxin, BoNT, is a poisonous substance produced within living cells by

Clostridium Botulinum bacteria. Botulism poisoning
Botulinum produces seven types of neurotoxins, poisons affecting the nervous system, denoted by the letters A through G (Dembek 340). These seven neurotoxins are structurally similar but have different specific toxicities. Human Botulism cases are primarily caused by neurotoxin types A, B, and E; while types C and D only cause toxicity in animals. However, all the toxins result in neuromuscular paralysis and untreated botulism is frequently fatal. The onset of symptoms, as well as the severity and duration of the illness, is dependent on the amount and type of toxin (Brandt 80). Food-borne Botulism symptoms appear 12 to 72 hours after contaminated food is consumed. Botulism poisoning presents an acute reduction of muscle tone.
(May 42). However, early symptoms may be nonspecific and difficult to associate with
Botulinum intoxication. Individuals with food-borne Botulism often experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea while neurologic symptoms involve muscle weakness involving head control, the upper and lower extremities,
The current recommended treatment for Botulism includes antitoxin therapy and supportive care as needed, including mechanical ventilation. Bellenir notes that surgically removing dead tissue and antibiotic therapy are recommended for the treatment of wound Botulism (124).
A German physician and poet, Justinus Kerner, first developed the idea of a possible therapeutic use of Botulinum toxin and published an accurate and complete description of the symptoms of food-borne Botulism between 1817 and 1822. In 1928, Dr. Herman Sommer, at the University of California, San Francisco, first isolated Botulinum toxin type A, BoNT-A in purified form (Dembek 340). Botulinum toxin, BoNT-A, used in very small doses, is a staple for aesthetic