Purification and characterization of peptides Ap2, Ap3 and Ap5 (ω-toxins) from the venom of the Brazilian tarantula Acanthoscurria paulensis.

Peptides isolated from spider venoms are of pharmacological interest due to their neurotoxic activity, acting on voltage-dependent ion channels present in different types of human body tissues. Three peptide toxins titled as Ap2, Ap3 and Ap5 were purified by RP-HPLC from Acanthoscurria paulensis venom. They were partially sequenced by MALDI In-source Decay method and their sequences were completed and confirmed by transcriptome analysis of the venom gland.