engleski

Preliminary study of Vipera ursinii macrops venom composition and biological activity

Meadow vipers (Vipera ursinii) form a group of five subspecies, but their distribution area is highly fragmented and covers Europe, Western and Central Asia. Karst viper, Vipera ursinii macrops (Vum) inhabits high mountain grasslands in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and northern Albania. In Croatia it is a highly threatened viper species that appears only in five isolated localities. Scientific literature on V. ursinii deals only with its morphology, ecology and distribution range due to the species' conservation problems, while its venom composition and properties have not been investigated. Meadow vipers are medically less significant than other Vipera species. A majority of envenoming generally displays mild and negligible local symptoms only, that spontaneously resolve for a couple of days without any medical treatment or antivenom therapy. This may be associated with the short length of their flanges and a very low amount of injected venom, which cannot cause serious systematic symptoms. Here we investigate for the first time the composition and biological activity of the Vum venom composition and biological activity. The Vum venom is less lethally toxic in mice than the V. a. ammodytes venom, however the pattern of mice dying indicates the presence of a strong neurotoxic component. Interestingly, a two- dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed a lack of basic phospholipases, which are known neurotoxic components of Vipera venoms. Western blot of nonreduced Vum venom with anti- ammodytoxin antibodies (anti-Atx) gave no signal. Mass spectrometric identification of SDS-PAGE bands showed the lack of ammodytoxins, as well. This was finally proven by ELISA, in which Vum venom coated wells were not recognized by anti-Atx antibodies. Taken together, Vum venom might be a good starting material for the discovery of a novel neurotoxic component in Vipera venoms.

karst vipers (Vipera ursinii macrops) ; preliminary study ; composition and biological activity ; neurotoxic component

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