Part 1: Lethal Toxin Neutralizing Factor From Opossum Serum

Abstract

Currently, the use of anti-venoms is the only available treatment for envenomations caused by poisonous animals, namely snake, scorpion, spider, tick, and jellyfish. Anti-venoms are generally produced in big animals, mostly in horses. A large percentage of the population in some regions is allergic to horse proteins. Several animals are known to be resistant to snakebites, and the anti-hemorrhagic and anti-lethal components have been isolated from sera of opossum, mongoose, meerkat, and hedgehog, as well as from poisonous and nonpoisonous snakes. Lethal toxin neutralizing factor (LTNF) was isolated in purity from opossum (D. virginiana) serum by high-pressure liquid chromatography. (Crotalidae, Elapidae, Viperidae, and Hydrophiidae) is prevented in mice by subsequent intraperitoneal inoculation of LTNF. Furthermore, LTNF neutralizes the lethality of scorpion and bee venoms and toxins from various animal, plant, and bacterial sources. Thus, natural LTNF from opossum serum has potential as a universal therapy for envenomations and other toxin exposure caused by animals, plants, and bacteria. The molecular weight of LTNF is 63 kDa, and it does not form precipitates with venoms or toxins by immune diffusion test. Death due to intraperitoneal injection of a predetermined lethal dose of venom from major families of snakes

Process for production and purification of lethal toxin neutralizing factor (LTNF) from E. coli and its economic analysis

“…A peptide segment of a 68 kDa protein, named lethal toxin neutralizing factor (LTNF) has been identified from the opossum ( Didelphis virginiana ) serum . This peptide has been shown to exhibit activity as metalloproteinase inhibitor .…”

“…A peptide segment of a 68 kDa protein, named lethal toxin neutralizing factor (LTNF) has been identified from the opossum (Didelphis virginiana) serum. [16][17][18][19] This peptide has been shown to exhibit activity as metalloproteinase inhibitor. 17 Interestingly, the first 15 amino acids of the N-terminal sequence of the full protein were found to contain the activity of the complete protein.…”