Gila lizard

One ofthe latest anorectics was discovered in 1992 by John Eng at Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, New York, in the saliva of the Gila lizard (Fig. 5.107). [246] The toxin is produced in the lizard s salivary glands in the lower jaw, and it contains serotonin together with a multitude of peptides... 

The Gila lizard (Heloderma suspectum, or Gila monster), lives in desert regions of south-western North America. It is reckoned among the few toxic lizards though rather painful, its bite has not been reported fatal to humans. 

Several biologically active peptides were isolated from the venom of the American lizard Gila monster [35]. The remarkable homology of these venom peptides with the intestinal peptides of the secretin family is demonstrated here through the comparison of helospectin and helodermin with the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP, p. 168)... 

Figure 5.4. A common lizard scaled linearly to gigantic size. Scene from The Giant Gila Monster (1959). Movie Still Archives.

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