AI Article Synopsis
- - African cobras (Naja species) are significant medically important snakes in Africa, identified as spitting (Afronaja subgenus) and non-spitting (Uraeus and Boulengerina subgenera) based on their venom characteristics.
- - Their venom contains various toxins such as three-finger toxin (3FTx) and phospholipase A2 (PLA), which lead to harmful effects from bites, but research on their proteome helps develop improved antivenoms.
- - The proteome analysis shows that Uraeus snakes have a distinct venom profile with high 3FTx and minimal PLA, unlike Afronaja and Boulengerina, and studies are also exploring the potential use
Article Abstract
African cobras (Naja species) represent one of the most encountered medically important snakes in Africa. They are classified as African spitting (Afronaja subgenus) and non-spitting cobras (Uraeus and Boulengerina subgenera) with similar and different characteristics. Snake venom toxins including three-finger toxin (3FTx), phospholipase A2 (PLA), and snake venom metalloproteinase (SVMP) cause snakebite envenomation leading to morbidity and mortality. The profile of the proteome of African cobra venoms will help to develop safer and more effective antivenoms. The approval of Captopril by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, has led to intensified research towards possible use of venom toxins as therapeutics. In this review, we compare the venom proteome profile of 3 African Naja subgenera. In both Afronaja and Boulengerina subgenera, 3FTx (Afronaja-69.79%; Boulengerina-60.56%) followed by PLA (Afronaja-21.15%; Boulengerina-20.21%) dominated the venoms compared to the Uraeus subgenus dominated by 3FTx (84.55%) with little to no PLA abundance (0.8%). The venom of subgenus Uraeus was distinct from the other two subgenera by the almost total absence of PLA, thus indicating little or no contribution of PLA in the envenomation caused by Uraeus compared to Afronaja and Boulengerina. Furthermore, we report studies on the experimental testing of African cobra venoms and toxins against diseases including anti-cancer properties.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.107792 | DOI Listing |
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