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← La BoticaHelodermatidaevenom / saliva (source of exendin-4; the drug is now made synthetically)Verificado el 24 de octubre de 2026

Las fichas de la Botica están en inglés mientras se traducen.

Gila monster

Heloderma suspectum

También llamadaGila monster (English)

A venomous lizard of the deserts of the south-western United States and north-western Mexico. In 1992 exendin-4 was isolated from its venom, a peptide that mimics the gut hormone GLP-1 but resists breakdown; made synthetically as exenatide, it became in 2005 the first GLP-1 receptor agonist drug for type 2 diabetes and opened the way to today's GLP-1 medicines. The animal itself is protected and its bite is dangerous.

Ficha completa de historia natural →

Para qué se usa

  • Not the animal but its drug: exenatide (Byetta, twice-daily injection, FDA 2005; extended-release form 2012) is approved as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve blood-sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. It raises insulin release only when glucose is high, suppresses glucagon and slows stomach emptying.2,3,4

  • Peso
    Moderada

    Exenatide produces modest weight loss through reduced appetite, useful in overweight people with type 2 diabetes; its successor liraglutide is also marketed as Saxenda (2014). The lizard and its venom are not a weight-loss remedy.3,4

Seguridad

Embarazo
Datos insuficientes
Lactancia
Datos insuficientes
Niños
Exenatide is licensed for adults.

Interacciones con medicamentos

  • insulin and sulfonylureasGraveExenatide raises the risk of hypoglycaemia, sometimes severe; doses of these drugs may need lowering (FDA label).
  • warfarinModeradaPost-marketing reports of raised INR, sometimes with bleeding; monitor more often (FDA label).
  • oral medicinesLeveSlowed stomach emptying may change their absorption (FDA label).
Comprobador de interacciones →

No usar si

  • Exenatide: previous severe allergy to exenatide; previous exenatide-induced immune thrombocytopenia (FDA label)
  • Exenatide: not recommended in severe gastroparesis

Efectos secundarios

  • Exenatide: nausea (usually easing), vomiting, diarrhoea, hypoglycaemia, jitteriness, dizziness, headache, indigestion, constipation
  • Exenatide: rare acute pancreatitis, acute kidney injury from dehydration, gallbladder disease, anaphylaxis, immune thrombocytopenia

En las tradiciones curativas

  • Indigenous North American

    Gila monster

    Revered in Navajo culture and folklore long before its medical value was known.

    Dyson et al. 2026 (abstract)

  • Modern pharmacology

    Exendin-4 → exenatide

    A 39-amino-acid peptide with about 53% similarity to human GLP-1 but resistant to the enzyme DPP-4, giving a half-life of about 2.5 hours instead of 1–2 minutes; it led to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class (exenatide, liraglutide, semaglutide).

Compuestos activos

exendin-4
39-amino-acid venom peptide; GLP-1 receptor agonist; synthetic form is exenatide
exendin-(9-39)
truncated peptide that blocks the GLP-1 receptor; a research tool

Historia

A 1982 study described the action of Gila monster venom on pancreatic cells. In 1992 Eng and colleagues at the Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center isolated exendin-4 from the venom, and in 1993 it was shown to be a potent agonist at the GLP-1 receptor. Because native GLP-1 lasts only 1–2 minutes in the blood, the DPP-4-resistant lizard peptide was developed into exenatide, approved by the FDA in 2005 as the first drug of the class that now includes liraglutide and semaglutide.

Fuentes

  1. 1.Eng J et al. Isolation and characterization of exendin-4, an exendin-3 analogue, from Heloderma suspectum venom. J Biol Chem 1992;267:7402–5
  2. 2.FDA label: BYETTA (exenatide) injection, AstraZeneca (DailyMed, revised 2025)
  3. 3.Kim E et al. Animal venom in modern medicine: a review of therapeutic applications. Toxins (Basel) 2025;17:371
  4. 4.Khalifa O, Arredouani A. GLP-1 RAs for treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: from GLP-1 discovery to FDA approval. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2026;19:408
  5. 5.Dyson S, Hoenig L, Levell NJ. From Gila monster venom to dermatology: the history of GLP-1 receptor agonists. Clin Dermatol 2026
  6. 6.Hooker KR, Caravati EM, Hartsell SC. Gila monster envenomation. Ann Emerg Med 1994;24:731–5
  7. 7.Massengill D et al. Fatality following Gila monster envenomation. Wilderness Environ Med 2026
  8. 8.CITES Species+: Heloderma suspectum (Appendix II, effective 1 July 1975)
  9. 9.GBIF: Heloderma suspectum Cope, 1869 — IUCN Red List category Near Threatened

Referencia, no receta. Nada de esto es consejo médico. Las hierbas pueden interactuar con medicamentos y ser peligrosas en el embarazo; informa a tu médico o farmacéutico de todo lo que tomes.