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隐藏在唾液中的止痛药

来源:可可英语 编辑:Ceciliya   可可英语APP下载 |  可可官方微信:ikekenet

Thank you to Dollar Shave Club for supporting SciShow.

感谢本期《科学秀》赞助方Dollar Shave Club。
With so many ways that people can get hurt, researchers are always on the lookout for non-addictive ways to treat severe or chronic pain.
人们受伤的方式有很多,研究人员总在寻找一种治疗严重或慢性疼痛的不致隐的方法。
And in 2006, they found a compound that may work even better than morphine called opiorphin.
2006年,他们发现了一种比吗啡更有效的物质—opiorphin肽。
It was hiding right under our noses... in human spit.
它就藏在我们的鼻子下方...在人类的唾液里。
In 2003, scientists found a similar compound in rat saliva, which is released in response to stressful situations, like being in pain.
2003年,科学家们在老鼠的唾液中发现了一种类似的化合物,在对疼痛等压力情景做出反应时,这种物质就会被释放。
So the team went searching for one in humans too, and they found opiorphin.
所以,团队也继续在人类体内搜寻这种物质,然后他们发现了opiorphin肽。
To be totally clear, it's not like this chemical is constantly numbing your mouth and body.
明确来说,这并不是一种持续麻痹你的嘴巴和身体的化学物质。
Opiorphin naturally gets broken down in your digestive tract, so it doesn't seem to stick around and have pain-relieving effects.
Opiorphin肽在消化道内自然分解,所以这种物质似乎不会逗留,它也没有止痛的作用。
And even if you're the kind of person who licks their paper cuts, we're not sure if it does anything on your skin, or if there's enough of it to make you feel better.
即使你喜欢舔你的纸割伤口,我们也不确定是否有助于止痛,也不知道opiorphin肽的量是否足够缓解疼痛。
Scientists figured out how opiorphin works by isolating it and doing experiments mostly not in whole living organisms.
科学家们通过隔离和在非完全活体上进行实验了解到了opiorphin的工作原理。
And its painkiller abilities are a little roundabout.
并且opiorphin的止痛效用还有些委婉。
Specifically, it binds to enzymes in the body that break down another class of pain-killing compounds called enkephalins.
更确切地说,opiorphin和体内的酶绑定,这些酶能够分解另一等级的止痛化合物—脑啡肽。
Enkephalins are peptides — shorter amino acid chains.
脑啡肽属于多肽类—氨基酸链更短。
And kind of like endorphins, they bind to opioid receptors in the central nervous system
有点类似于内啡肽,它们和中心神经系统的阿片受体绑定
to keep certain signals from reaching the brain, so you don't perceive pain. Basically, they help make you feel good!
以阻止某种信号到达大脑,这样你就感觉不到疼痛了。主要来讲,它们帮助你缓解疼痛!
Since pain is an important sign that something's wrong, you can't have enkephalins around all the time.
由于疼痛是身体出问题的重要信号,因此身体无法一直产生脑啡肽。
So your body also has a group of enzymes called proteases that tidy up.
所以你的身体还有一组被称为蛋白酶的酶类用于进行整理。
They break down proteins and peptides, and help make sure that the right signals are being sent and received.
它们分解蛋白质和缩氨酸,并帮助确保正确信号的传送和接收。
Opiorphin blocks a couple specific proteases that break down enkephalins, so these pain-relieving chemicals stick around longer.
Opiorphin封锁一对分解脑啡肽的特殊蛋白酶,这样这些镇痛化学物质才能够逗留徘徊。
Researchers think that compounds like opiorphin might exist because they help in times of danger —
研究人员认为像opiorphin这类化合物的存在或许是因为它们在危险时期起到帮助作用——
they block out pain to let us run away from whatever's causing it in the first place.
它们封锁住疼痛,让我们第一时间逃离危险。

隐藏在唾液中的止痛药

But to figure out what opiorphin is capable of, scientists ran a few different tests.

但是为了了解opiorphin的作用,科学家们进行了一些不同试验。
In one, they injected a chemical irritant called formalin into rat paws.
其中一个是,给老鼠的爪子注射一种叫做福尔马林的化学刺激物。
When the rats got a dose of opiorphin too, they showed less signs of pain, like paw-licking.
当给老鼠也注射一剂opiorphin时,它们显示出了疼痛减少的迹象,比如舔足。
Not only that, but opiorphin seemed to be almost as effective as a slightly higher dose of morphine.
不仅是这样,opiorphin似乎和微高剂量的吗啡有着几乎一样的疗效。
The other was a pin-pain test, where the rats had to walk over a pin-covered surface.
另一个是别针-疼痛试验,老鼠们必须走过满是别针的表面。
Like a human on a bed of nails, the pins were close enough that the rats couldn't stab themselves, but were still uncomfortable.
就像是人类站在大片钉子上,这些别针和老鼠隔得非常近,虽然不会刺伤老鼠,但还是很不舒适。
Here, too, the researchers found that opiorphin seemed to work almost as well as morphine to keep the pain at bay.
在此实验中,研究员也发现opiorphin似乎能像吗啡一样困住疼痛。
As far as we can tell from testing rats, opiorphin is less addictive than opioid painkillers like morphine.
从老鼠实验中来看,opiorphin不像吗啡等阿类止疼药那么容易上瘾。
And scientists also think we're less likely to become tolerant, or need more drug over time to get the same effects.
科学家还认为我们不太可能忍受这些疼痛或者我们需要更多药物才能达到同样的效果。
Unfortunately, it's also pretty likely that opiorphin doesn't just block proteases that break down enkephalins — which might mean unwanted side effects.
不幸的是,还很有可能opiorphin不仅仅是封闭了分解脑啡肽的蛋白酶—这或许意味着讨厌的副作用。
So we still have a lot of questions about what this painkiller is doing in our spit, and how to turn it into medicine.
所以对于这种止疼药的功效以及如何将它们制成药,我们还有很多疑问。
But it's a pretty cool find, and may be useful someday.
但是这仍是一个很棒的发现,以后说不定会很有用。
But for now, even with a painkiller in your saliva, you can't lick your own face to alleviate razor burn,
但是现在,即使你的唾液中含有一种止疼药,你也不能舔自己的脸上的刀伤,
your tongue just is not long enough, you gotta get a friend to come over and do it, that's a little awkward.
你的舌头没那么常,你或许需要让朋友来帮忙,这样有点尴尬啊。
And what if you shave your armpits, can you get your tongue in there?
那如果你在刮你的腋窝,你可以舔那里么?
And if you've ever tried to test out like shaving cream and a razor in the store to find out how that goes.
如果你曾在商店里试用刮毛膏和剃刀,
Well, that does go well for the employees of the store don't tend to like that.
对于商店导购来讲,他们可能不太喜欢。
Luckily! The aptly named Dollar Shave Club is offering SciShow viewers their "Daily Essentials" Starter Set to new members for just $5.
幸运的是,Dollar Shave Club能够提供《科学秀》的观众们日常护理套装,新会员仅售5美元。
They'll send you their Executive Razor, plus a full set of cartridges, as well as trial versions of their most popular products:
他们会给你寄公司的剃刀,外加一整套套筒,以及他们热卖产品的试用装:
Shave Butter, Body Wash, and One Wipe Charlies' Butt Wipes.
Shave Butter、Body Wash以及Wipe Charlies' Butt Wipes。
You know you want those butt wipes. After the first month, they'll send you replacement cartridges for your razor every month for just a few bucks.
你需要它们的。第一个月后,他们每月都会给你寄送替换套盒,仅需几美元而已。
Go to DollarShaveClub.com/SciShave to get The Daily Essentials starter set for just $5 and know that when you do, you're also supporting SciShow, as well as you face.
登录DollarShaveClub.com/SciShave,五美元获得日常护理套装。支持《科学秀》,养护你的面颊。

重点单词   查看全部解释    
saliva [sə'laivə]

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n. 唾液

联想记忆
popular ['pɔpjulə]

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adj. 流行的,大众的,通俗的,受欢迎的

联想记忆
severe [si'viə]

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adj. 剧烈的,严重的,严峻的,严厉的,严格的

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slightly ['slaitli]

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adv. 些微地,苗条地

 
certain ['sə:tn]

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adj. 确定的,必然的,特定的
pron.

 
perceive [pə'si:v]

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vt. 察觉,感觉,认知,理解

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tidy ['taidi]

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adj. 整齐的,整洁的,相当大的
vt. 使

 
chronic ['krɔnik]

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adj. 长期的,慢性的,惯常的

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alleviate [ə'li:vieit]

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vt. 减轻,使 ... 缓和

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painkiller ['pein.kilə]

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n. 止痛药

 

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