Factors underlying the natural resistance of animals against snake venoms

Abstract

The existence of mammals and reptilia with a natural resistance to snake venoms is known since a long time. This fact has been subjected to the study by several research workers. Our experiments showed us that in the marsupial Didelphis marsupialis, a mammal highly resistant to the venom of Bothrops jararaca, and other Bothrops venoms, has a genetically origin protein, a alpha-1, acid glycoprotein, now highly purified, with protective action in mice against the jararaca snake venom

Structural and Functional Analyses of DM43, a Snake Venom Metalloproteinase Inhibitor from Didelphis marsupialisSerum

“…The disulfide bridges linking Cys 121 and Cys 163 and Cys 213 and Cys 265 in the second and third DM43 domains, respectively, were experimentally confirmed. Considering the absence of free thiol groups in this protein (32), the existence of a disulfide bridge linking Cys 28 and Cys 74 in the first DM43 Ig-like domain can be inferred.…”

“…It showed antihemorrhagic, antilethal, antimyonecrotic, and antiedematogenic properties (27)(28)(29)(30) and was active neither on snake venom serine proteinases nor on proteinases from other sources (31). Recently, two antihemorrhagic proteins, DM40 and DM43, were isolated from the antibothropic factor and characterized as SVMP inhibitors from the immunoglobulin supergene family.…”

La medicina complementaria en el tratamiento de las enfermedades tropicales desatendidas: accidentes ofi­dicos

“…De manera interesante varios de los estudios presentados en esta revisión demostraron que la administración preexposición es más eficaz en disminuir los efectos nocivos que en un contexto posexposición (15,17) . La evidencia sobre las razones por las cuales existe resistencia natural a los venenos de serpiente sugiere que la presencia de ciertas glicoproteínas limitarían los efectos dañinos del veneno ofídico (18,20) . La presencia de estas moléculas en animales naturalmente resistentes al ofidismo podría deberse a un proceso genéticamente adquirido, aunque debe considerarse el rol de la dieta de estos animales en la adquisición de dicha resistencia natural.…”

Inhibition of proteases, myotoxins and phospholipases A2 from Bothrops venoms by the heteromeric protein complex of Didelphis albiventris opossum serum

“…Examples are: the 52 kDa single chain antihemorrhagic factor (oprin) from Didelphis virginiana serum (7); the twochain (42.6 and 48 kDa) glycoprotein complex from the serum and milk of Didelphis marsupialis (8). In addition to their antihemorrhagic effect, these protein complexes have antimyonecrotic, antiedematogenic and antilethal activities (9)(10)(11). Purification and biochemical identification of the ABC: The opossum serum was dialized for 72 hrs against 0.01M, pH 3.7 ammonium acetate buffer at 5~ and, after centrifugation at 7,800 x g for 15 min, the clear supernatant fraction was lyophilized.…”

“…Isolation of the anti-B, jararaca venom factors from the Didelphidae family showed a high amino acid sequence homology at the amino terminus of these proteins (8). tn vivo assays showed that the ABC from D. marsupialis serum possessed antihemorrhagic, antimyonecrotic and antilethal activities (9). Recently, Neves-Ferreira et al (13) demonstrated that this factor is able to inhibit proteolysis induced by B.…”