Understanding the effects of Bothrops erythromelas and Bothrops leucurus venoms on human blood coagulation.

Coagulation disorders are a primary symptom of envenomation caused by snakes belonging to the genus Bothrops. In the Northeast region of Brazil, the species Bothrops erythromelas and Bothrops leucurus are the main responsible for snakebite accidents. Due to the specific action of Bothrops venoms on several components of the coagulation cascade, the objective of this work was to characterize the coagulotoxic profile of B.

An alternative method for comparing hemorrhagic activity of snake venoms following one of the 3R's principles.

Venom-induced hemorrhage analysis usually is performed by Minimum Hemorrhagic Dose (MHD), however a similar method can be used to compare venoms with fewer laboratory animals. Our work compared the MHD of five different venoms, with the size of hemorrhagic spot, finding good correlations in the results. Considering the 3Rs principle, we propose the use of the hemorrhagic spot method to compare hemorrhagic activity of snake venoms, rather than using the MHD method, since the first one needs 5 times less animals than the other.

Fibrinogenolytic potential of venoms of medically important Brazilian snakes.

One of the main clinical manifestations presented by victims of snake bite envenoming are coagulation disorders. Considering that fibrinogen is a key molecule for crosslinked fibrin clot formation, the objective of this work was the quantitative analysis of the fibrinogenolytic activity of snakes of medical importance in Brazil and neutralization by specific antivenom. For this, pools of three genera of medical importance (Bothrops, Crotalus and Lachesis) that are used for the production of antivenom were used, and three pools of species of the genus Bothrops that are not part of the pool for the production of antivenom.

Seasonality in Crotalus durissus venom.

Rattlesnakes belonging to the genus Crotalus are widely distributed throughout the Americas. In Brazil, symptoms commonly associated with envenomation by Crotalus durissus collilineatus include myalgia, rhabdomyolysis, renal failure, neurotoxicity, and progressive paralysis, which are related to the protein composition of this venom. Snake venom composition exhibits compositional variability that may reflect geographic distribution, age, captivity, diet, sex, and even individual genetics.

Analyzing the influence of age and sex in Bothrops pauloensis snake venom.

Considerable heterogeneity and ontogenetic changes in venom composition have already been observed in different species of snakes within the Viperidae family. Since the venom of young and adult can cause distinct pathological effects and because the antivenom may be less effective in neutralizing envenoming by young snakes compared to adults, it is of paramount importance to understand the ontogenetic variation of snake venom. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze and compare the venom of Bothrops pauloensis snakes, searching for possible influences of ontogeny and sex in their biochemical and biological aspects.

From birth to adulthood: An analysis of the Brazilian lancehead (Bothrops moojeni) venom at different life stages.

The Brazilian lancehead (Bothrops moojeni) has a wide distribution in Brazil and represents a serious public health hazard. Previous works reported that the symptoms of snakebites caused by B. moojeni juveniles' bites were mainly related to coagulation, while those caused by adults' bites had a more prominent local damage.

Snake venom color and L-amino acid oxidase: An evidence of long-term captive Crotalus durissus terrificus venom plasticity.

The venom color variation of Crotalus durissus terrificus (Cdt) is attributed to the presence of the toxin L-amino acid oxidase (LAAO). During the venom milking routine of Instituto Butantan, we have noticed that most venoms of captive Cdt specimens show a yellowish color, while most venoms of wild specimens are white. Here we describe a comparative analysis of long-term captive (LTC) and recently wild-caught (RWC) Cdt, focusing on LAAO variation.

Venom complexity of (common lancehead) siblings.

Background: Variability in snake venoms is a well-studied phenomenon. However, sex-based variation of snake venom using siblings is poorly investigated. is responsible for the majority of snakebite accidents in the Brazilian Amazon region.

Does the administration of pilocarpine prior to venom milking influence the composition of Micrurus corallinus venom?

Unlabelled: Considering that the scarcity of venom represents a huge challenge for biochemical and functional studies of Micrurus species (coral snakes), in this report we describe for the first time the influence of pilocarpine administration prior to venom milking on the yield and protein composition of Micrurus corallinus venom. The administration of pilocarpine resulted in an increase of about 127% in the volume of venom milked, with similar protein content. Venoms showed similar protein bands distribution and intensity by SDS-PAGE and equivalents RP-HPLC profiles.