Avaliação da toxicidade e o perfil eletroforético do veneno de bothrops pubescens

Abstract

Brazil houses 405 species of snakes, of which only two families are venomous, among them, the main one is the Viperidae family, that comprises the genera Crotalus, Lachesis and Bothrops. The genus Bothrops comprises snakes species of greater medical interest, due to the large number of accidents that occur involving these animals. The composition of the venom is already known through techniques as venomic and has already been elucidated in several studies the great variability in the protein composition of its venom due to several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Bothrops pubescens is a venomous snake of the genus Bothrops, endemic to the Pampa biome and, until recently, was considered a subspecies of B. neuwiedi, but the species category was elevated in 2004. Thus, the variation in the composition of the venom between the two species Bothrops and the restricted occurrence of the B.pubescens species together with recent classification as a species, lacking studies that elucidate the composition of its venom, this work aimed to test the toxic potential of the venom and to characterize its protein profile through electrophoretic techniques, seeking to find similarities and differences in their composition. The methodology applied in this work started from the extraction of venom through massage of the venom gland and application of pressure of the prey against a beaker. Concentrations of 70, 140 and 280 μg / mL were exposed in preparations of biventer cervicis chicks (Gallus galuus domesticus). For the proteomic analyzes, 17 μg of protein were subjected to a denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results of the toxicity analysis on the contraction force of the biventer cervicis muscle showed a total block at the concentration of 280 μg / mL after 120 minutes of exposure and a 40% partial block at the other concentrations after the same 120 minutes. Through polyacrylamide gel it was possible to observe bands between 23 and 100 kDa, the bands of 23 kDa being prominent in the gel. It was concluded with this work that B. pubescens venom causes a total blockage of muscle contraction force at the concentration of 280 μg/mL after 120 minutes of exposure in preparations of biventer cervicis chicks at 37 °C. It was also possible to observe differences in the protein profile of B. pubescens venom in relation to other snakes of the same genus.