Today human life expectancy has experienced drastic adjustments as well as the quality of life as result of advancement of modern medicine in disease diagnosis and treatment. Despite, the growing emphasis on advanced devices and chemical products in measuring up to medical research and development, animals have always had, and still have, an evident contribution in the discovery of many forms of medicine. Right from the past, right up to the present day’s formulations, the world of animal resources has supplied chemicals for medications. This paper focuses on the covert importance of animals in the various aspects of contemporary medicine as well as on the ethical dilemma, new achievements, and relevance of medicaments of animal origin.
The Historical Context of Animal-Derived Medicines
A: Ancient Remedies and Animal Products
The application of animals in medicine has been recorded to have been in practice for thousands of years where even ancients peoples depended on the different animal parts and secretion for curative purposes. Sometimes even today, conventional Chinese remedies such the snake venom, bear bile and deer antlers are used for such treatments. Like now, ancient Egyptians likewise utilized honey which bees produce as an antiseptic; the Greeks and Romans likewise used animal fat in ointments and balms.
B: The Evolution of Animal-Derived Medicines
With the development of medical science, the techniques of applying animals in medicine were enhanced. In the medical practices that came as part of the Middle Ages, European apothecaries resorted to making their remedies with beaver glands and fish oils. Quinine, extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree, but usually used in conjunction with substances of animal origin, was a major advance in malaria treatment. These early practices were the foundational practices for the contemporary pharmacology in which substances derived from animals are still essential.
The Role of Animals in Modern Pharmaceuticals
C: Hormones and Insulin: Life-Saving Medications
Some of the most prominent achievements of animals in today’s medicine include hormone replacement therapy. The pancreas hormone called Insulin that has an important role in the balance of blood glucose levels was isolated in the 1920s from the animals’ pancreases from pigs and cows. This find has greatly enhanced the management of diabetes as what was formerly a death sentence is now a chronic condition. While many people take synthetic insulin, animal insulin is very important for those who have adverse reactions to chemicals insulin.
D: Heparin: An Anticoagulant from Animal Sources
Another medicine produced from animals is Heparin, which is a life saving anticoagulant used in the prevention of blood clot formation. It is mostly obtained from the small intestines of pigs and from the mucosa of the abomasum of cattle. Heparin is used in operations, haemodialysis, and in the management of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Although attempts have been made to come up with synthetic versions, the animal derived heparin remains the best given its ability to please the market while delivering its safety promise.
E: Vaccines and Antivenoms: Utilizing Animal Immune Responses
Notably, animals are involved in the production of vaccines and antivenoms in a very big way. For example, the horses are used to prepare antivenoms for snake bite. This process entails administering a horse with tiny doses of snake venom to enable the immune system of the horse produce antibodies. These antibodies are collected, and after being purified, are used to make antivenoms. In the same way, growing the viral cultures required for vaccines is sometimes done in animal cells or eggs. This method is mainly used in growing of flu vaccines using chicken eggs.
The Science Behind Animal-Derived Medicines
F: Biopharmaceuticals: The Next Generation of Medicines
Biopharmaceuticals – the group of drugs with biological origin including animals – are considered to be the most effective contemporary medications. These drugs are synthesized with the general application of biotechnology and are often made with genetically manipulated animals that are used for the production of therapeutic proteins. For instance, goats have been genetically modified to being humans antithrombin, an attribute that helps to avoid bloodstream clots in patients suffering from hereditary hyperkipidemic state. This approach does more than offer the supply reliability for the protein while making almost 100% biochemical equivalence against the human protein so as to afford negligible chances of immune responses.
G: Venom-Derived Drugs: Turning Toxins into Treatments
Snake and spider venom, together with venom that comes from other sources, has been dreaded for its vicioussness. But the researchers have learned that it is possible to use these toxins for generating medications for specific diseases. For instance, the venom of the Brazilian pit viper which stimulated the manufacture of captopril, which is a drug in a group that is referred to as ACE inhibitors and is used to address problems such as high blood pressure and heart failure. In a similar manner, extracts from the cone snail venom have been identified as exhibits immense potential in development of a novel analgesic that is far more powerful than opioids and yet, is relatively devoid of the possibility of an addictive disposition.
H: Marine Animals and Their Therapeutic Potential
The marine environment is believed to contain many new chemical entities that have pharmacological effects on mammals. Sponges, mollusks and corals that live in the sea have manufactured a number of bioactive compounds being reported to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects. For instance, the sea squirt synthesise a compound referred to as trabectedin has been used to treat soft tissue sarcoma and ovarian cancer. The sea is home to a diverse population of species, giving scientific researchers the opportunity of finding drugs not found on land.
Ethical Considerations and Animal Welfare
I: The Ethics of Using Animals in Medicine
The issue of animals in medicines also comes associated with ethical issues as discussed below. They have been used for years in the production of medicine that has saved countless lives, but the processes involved in the use of animal-derived medicines involves the use or sacrifice of animals and this has elicited the concern of animal activists. Ethical issues include the treatment given to animals used in research as well as drug production and necessity of using animals when there are other effective methods of getting the products; the method of acquiring animal products to be used in production of these drugs.
J: Alternatives to Animal-Derived Medicines
Thus, in response to ethical discourses, scholars continue to look for alternatives to products derived from animals. There has been a rapid progress in biotechnology, which has seen the development of some drugs with the use of cell cultures, yeast, or bacteria and not animals. For instance, recombinant DNA technology has facilitated bringing out synthetic insulin that does not have to be obtained from animals in its production. In the same way, the use of plant derived compounds and synthetic biology also in various drugs are being considered as replacement for animal products.
K: The Role of Regulation in Ensuring Ethical Practices
The state and other authorities perform the most important task of preventing the abuses of animals in medicine. Most regulations demand that the use of animals should be avoided, or reduced to the barest level and that possible alternatives should always be sought for. When it is necessary to use animals, it is important to do as per the animal use protocols set to avoid cruelty to animals. Manufacturing of the Veterinary Medicines that involves animals is strictly regulated by the authorities such as the FDA, EMA and WHO.
The Future of Animal-Derived Medicines
L: Innovations in Animal Biotechnology
An opinion is that the further development of animal-derived medicines will largely depend on the outcomes of the endeavours in the sphere of biotechnology. Modern technologies such as genetic engineering, cloning, and other biotechnology interventions suggest that production of animal-derived drugs may be done more competently as well as with minimal concern from an ethical stance. For example genetically modified transgenic animals that synthesise more product, or animals that are built to be less susceptible to diseases could decrease the demand for many animals in pharmaceuticals.
M: The Potential of Synthetic Biology
Beginning with the engineering of new biological parts, devices and systems, synthetic biology has the potential to replace some animal based drugs with synthetic ones. This approach could result to the production of medicines that are even more ethical and at the same time have checks on the quality and quantity aspects. With the goal of enabling the synthesis of complex multicompartmentalized polygons which are at the moment produced from animals, Du had suggested that synthetic biology will enable production of these products in factories without the use of any animals.
N: The Ongoing Importance of Biodiversity
New medicines are therefore usually found through the search for biological diversity, namely fauna and flora. Global habitats face challenges such as climate change, deforestation and pollution that make it important that Assam and similar regions continue to protect the diversity in order to find more cure for diseases. Conservation of endangered species and their habitats is not only a matter environmental concern but also a matter of interest in the progress of medical science and discovery of new drugs.
Case Studies: Animal-Derived Medicines in Practice
O: The Role of Horses in Antivenom Production
Draught horses have for instance been used in the past for production of antivenoms for snake bites. They are big animals and have strong immunity hence being suitable for generating large Antibody yield required for antivenom. This process which is referred as hyperimmunization, the horse is administered small doses of the venom so that the immune system produces the antibodies, which are then collected to prepare antivenom. However, horse-based antivenoms are still important today in the treatment of snake bites and especially in the areas with high mortality rates from snake bites.
P: The Use of Pigs in Transplant Medicine
Lately, pigs have become favorites when it comes to transplant medicine because they are physiologically close to human beings. Pig heart valves have been transplanted into humans for many years now where they have been invaluable in the treatment of valve disease. In recent years, xenotransplantation or transplantation from pigs to humans has attracted increased research attention with genetically modified pigs bred to ‘produce’ organs that would not be recognized immediately by the human body. This research has the possibility of solving for the dire shortage of human organ donors a major problem.
Q: The Contribution of Marine Animals to Cancer Treatment
Many marine animals have offered some of the richest leads in the fight against cancer. A compound from the Caribbean sea sponge known as Eribulin is another example; it is used in treating metastatic breast cancer. This compound functions through the prevention of cancer cells growth and therefore may be of value for patients with the late stages of cancer. The fact that eribulin was identified emphasizes on the role of marine resources in the fight against cancer diseases.
The Global Impact of Animal-Derived Medicines
R: The Economic Importance of Animal-Derived Medicines
The production of medicines of animal origin is an important section of the world economy, which implies diverse supply. Firms that operate chains that are geographically extended across the world. Raw material producing countries are undoubtedly invaluable for the worldwide production of pharmaceuticals, e.g., heparin or insulin. Economic effects also includes record of these medicines not only in their manufacturing, but also in the management of chronic diseases and public health and thus contributing to economic growth and sustenance.
S: The Role of Traditional Medicine in Modern Healthcare
Ancient system of healing popularly known as traditional medicine still exists in many regions of globe where animal based products are still in practice. For instance, it is a common knowledge when it comes to the use of animals products in the treatment of diseases and for health improvement as practiced in traditional Chinese medicine. Many of the exercises are considered politically incorrect at best, and some even involve the use of endangered species; thus, they prove the ancient interdependence of animals and medicine. Combining the indigenous approach to health care and with the contemporary medicine is a chance for patients to receive health services tailored for their culture.
T: The Challenges of Sustainability in Animal-Derived Medicines
One very significant issue that has been emerging in the production of animal-derived medicines is sustainability. Such demand makes use of some animal products to excess level that can maybe harm the wild species or the whole species within a certain ecosystem. Ordering the use of animal-derived products, appropriate guidelines of captive breeding and development of synthetic substitutes, the problem of disappearance of certain species while expanding the consumption of such medications is solved. Also, international control of the trade of endangered species as it has been accomplished by CITES is equally important for protecting both the wildlife and future medical science.
Conclusion
Man has benefited from animals accepted as great sources for many medicinal elements and small parts of many complete treatments. Though it is well known that animals can be used to provide insulin, heparin, vaccines, and antivenoms, the list of animal-based drugs is far deeper. Nonetheless, it is crucial to bring up the ethical and sustainability issues in the use of animals in medicine when advancing now and in the future.
With the progress of the scientific and technological fields, the possibility of the minimization of animal-derived drugs also appears. There are better technologies in molecular biology, synthetic biology and genetic engineering that would give similar advantages without the ethical quandaries. However, use of animal based products in medicines is expected to remain high in the near future, thus requires effort be made to consult the benefits of the medicines with the Ethics of using animals and preservation of species.
Therefore, the use of animals as the biggest contributors to modern medicine is a mixture of both the perfect symbiosis between human beings and the natural world and perfect dependency of the latter on the former. Only when it is understood and appreciated that reason forms a part of this reciprocative alliance shall we be able to improve on the medical science along with the welfare of animal life let alone the humankind.
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