Rhopalurus junceus

AND THE TREATMENT OF CANCER

Natividad Hernandez-Cruz
A toxin is any substance, usually poisonous, that is
produced by a living organism and can negatively affect
another organism.

Venom is a toxin that interferes with normal cell

function, it can either have a positive or negative effect.

The use of venom is a widely talked about topic in

current cancer research.

This presentation looks into discussing the use of the

Cuban scorpion Rhopalurus junceus as a treatment for
cancer.
 Rhopalurus junceus
R. junceus also known as “Blue or Red Scorpion” due to its red body and its blue tail and
stinger.

R. junceus is native to Cuba and Dominican Republic.

Adults can reach 55-100mm in lengths.

Its life span can be from three to five years, although in captivity it decreases to about 6
months.

Reproduction in captivity is difficult. In nature, the female scorpion gives birth to about
42 to 47 live young.

The scorpion molds up to 7 times before reaching maturity, making it difficult to

differentiate between a scorpion at stage 6 of molting and an adult scorpion.

LD 50 is of 8.0 mg/kg, which is barely enough to harm a human. A few cases of

anaphylactic shock have been reported following a hypersensitivity immune reaction.
 Rhopalurus junceus
It is reported that Cuba has 14 hatcheries, one in each
providence, with approximately 5,000 scorpions in
each.

The venom is extracted by electrical stimulus to the

scorpion.

Each scorpion can give off approximately 0.02mL of

venom, equivalent to two or three drops.
 Rhopalurus junceus
The toxin from the scorpion has proteins with a very low
molecular weight whose action is anti-tumor.
The toxin has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumoral
properties.
It also is said to increase the production of white blood cells.
Ideal for the treatment of lung, uterus, prostate, and
pancreatic cancers.
Extraction of R. junceus venom is used in the production of
Escozul, an oral suspension ingested to aid in killing off
cancer cells.
 Escozul
Escozul is the name of the oral medication containing
the venom from R. junceus.

The dosage varies by the types of cancer and its stage.

Escozul is usually effective within three months of

starting treatment.

VIDATOX is a homeopathic version, which is believed

to have a placebo effect.
 Escozul
signs of improvement
Indicators that the medication was working included
Decrease of pain
Reappearance of appetite and sleep
Decreases in metabolic activity of tumor
Decrease of tumor markers
 Toxic Effects of Escozul
No toxic side effects have been shown.
In laboratory testing, mice were given different doses of
Escozul.
The mice showed different clinical signs such as motor
function, reflex, convulsion, sedation, etc.
NO MORTALITY, weight loss or alteration of internal organs.
Only significant observations were sedation and reflex
reduction.
NO SIDE EFFECTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY
HUMANS!!!
 Escozul as an Analgesic
In laboratory setting, mice were induced pain by injecting acetic
acid.
The number of contortions the mice suffered in a 10 minute
period were counted.
The number of contortions was used a pain indicator.
Treatment with Escozul showed a decrease in the number of
contortions.
The following graph shows that high concentrations of Escozul
can inhibit up to 55% of pain.
This experiment shows why cancer patients who use Escozul show
a reduction in pain.
 Escozul as an Analgesic

The graphic shows the results of an experimental model of chemical analgesia. Six groups of laboratory mice
subjected to different concentrations of ESCOZUL were examined, a control (+) group subjected to ASA and a
control (-) group without any analgesic. The mice were induced pain by injecting acetic acid into them after which
the specialists counted the number of contortions the mice suffered in a period of 10 minutes. The number of
contortions is a pain indicator. The different letters inside the bars indicate significant statistical differences in the
number of contortions between treatments. On the contrary, the treatments with equal letters indicate there are no
differences between them. Thus, it can be observed that ESCOZUL has analgesic activity and that there are no
differences between the treatment effects with ASA, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 50 mg/Kg of ESCOZUL. The graphic shows
the inhibition percentage of the contortions for each treatment. It can be seen in the graphic that the treatments with
high concentrations of ESCOZUL can inhibit up to 55% of pain. This experiment with mice could explain why
cancer patients who are treated with ESCOZUL show a pain reduction.
Escozul as an Anti-inflammatory
Laboratory mice were injected with croton oil to
induce inflammation.

The mice were weighed during course of experiment.

The use of Escozul was able to inhibit up to 38% of

inflammation.
 Escozul as an Anti-
inflammatory

The graphic shows the results of the acute anti-inflammatory experimental model. Three groups of laboratory mice
subjected orally to different concentrations of ESCOZUL were examined, a group control (+) subjected to dexamet and a
group control (-) without any anti-inflammatory. They were induced the inflammation by injecting croton oil into them
and the effects were evaluated taken into account the mice's weight. The different letters inside the bars show significant
statistical differences in weight between treatments, on the contrary, the treatments with equal letters show there are no
differences between them. Thus, it can be seen that ESCOZUL has anti-inflammatory activity and that there are no
differences between the effects of treatments with 5, 10 and 20 mg/Kg of ESCOZUL. The graphic shows the percentage
of the inflammation inhibition for each treatment. It can be seen that the treatments with high concentrations of
ESCOZUL can get to inhibit up to 38% of the inflammation. This experiment with mice could explain why cancer
patients who are treated with ESCOZUL show a reduction in the appearance of edemas and inflammations.
Escozul as an Anti-carcinogenic:
Mechanism
The mechanism of Escozul as an anti-carcinogenic is
unknown, although theories exist:
It is believed that it has an immune-modulator effect
Also, it has angiogenesis inhibitor
Or, apoptosis potentiator

First Action: stops the cancer from spreading

Second Action: Escozul inhibits the growth of blood vessels
around cancer
Death of tumor cells occur because of lack of nutrients
carried by blood.
Escozul as an Anti-carcinogenic:
Mechanism

Cellular membranes are gradually destroyed when

Escozul is added to tumor cell cultures.
Escozul as an Anti-carcinogenic

The graphic shows the percentage of cell growth of different cell

cultures when treated with dissimilate doses of ESCOZUL. It
can be observed that ESCOZUL has antiproliferative activity and
the more concentrated the dose, the lower the cell proliferation
will be. The greater reduction was obtained for the lung and
larynx cell lines.
 Side Notes about Escozul
Escozul was only available in Cuba, and was not approved
by the Oncological Society of Cuba as an effective
treatment.
There is much speculation whether the Oncological Society
of Cuba refuses to display research for reasons regarding the
ecological stance of the scorpion.
Cuba has also stopped producing Escozul, yet have
distributed VidaTox, the homeopathic solution.
Escozul can however be obtained from Cuban independent
producers. Other countries also sell Escozul, but not all are
realiable.
 References

Biochemical and molecular characterization of the venom from the Cuban scorpion Rhopalurus
junceus. Toxicon. 2011. 58: 18-27.

Cuba venderá veneno de alacrán para tratar cáncer

http://www.elmanana.com.mx/notas.asp?id=206495

Escozul-Cancer http://www.escozul-cancer.com/index.html

Estudian alacrán azul cubano por las propiedades curativas de su veneno, además de las relacionadas
con el cáncer http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/pdf/Archive/Soc/soc.culture.cuba/2006-
05/msg01854.pdf

Estudian uso del veneno de alacrán contra tumores cancerígenos

http://www.salud.com/cancer/estudian-uso-del-veneno-alacran-contra-tumores-cancerigenos.asp

Rhopalurus junceus (Herbst, 1800), http://www.ntnu.no/ub/scorpion-files/r_junceus.php