Proteolytic activity of Elapid and Viperid Snake venoms and its implication to digestion.

Testing whether venoms may aid in digestion of the prey, eleven snake venoms were compared for the presence of proteases and endopeptidases that function in alkaline pH conditions. In vitro experiments examined the relative protease and endopeptidase activity of the venoms, which involved combining bovine muscle and snake venom in a buffered solution, encased within dialysis tubing. This mixture was then incubated at room temperature (∼20°C) for 24hr, with constant shaking.