PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION ABOUT THE ANTI-COMPLEMENT PROPERTIES OF PARTIALLY SEPARATED Vipera ammodytes VENOM

Abstract

The present study demonstrates that Vipera ammodytes venom is a potent inhibitor of human complement activation. Crude venom was fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography and each fraction was then tested for proteolytic, hemolytic and anti-complement activities. Three peaks decreased the hemolytic activity of human serum when measured using assays for the classical and alternative pathways of activation. One of the anti-complement peaks contains a protease capable of cleaving the C3 component of complement