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Tijani Y, Zanna H, Hock TC, Shettima A, Onu A, Sugun M, Ehizibolo D, Shuaibu AB, Habib AG. Experimental production and efficacy testing of mono-specific antibodies against the venom of carpet viper (Echis ocellatus) from savannah Nigeria. Toxicon 2024; 248:107845. [PMID: 38960288 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.107845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 06/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Echis ocellatus is one of the commonest snakes responsible for envenomation in Nigeria. Antivenom is the only effective treatment, but the country suffers from a limited supply of effective antivenom. This study therefore aimed to explore the feasibility of effective, mono-specific antibodies production through immunization in rabbits using the venom of Echis ocellatus from Nigeria. The World Health Organization guide on antivenom production was employed in the immunization and the resultant antibodies were purified using protein A agarose column chromatography. Antibody titer reached a high plateau by 2-month immunization, and SDS PAGE of the sera suggests the presence of intact immunoglobulins accompanied with the heavy (50 kDa) and light (25 kDa) chains. The venom has an intravenous LD50 of 0.35 mg/kg in mice, and the venom lethality at a challenge dose of 2 LD50 was effectively neutralized by the antibodies with a potency value of 0.83 mg venom per g antibodies. The antibodies also neutralized the procoagulant activity of the venom with an effective dose (ED) of 13 ± 0.66 μl, supporting its use for hemotoxic envenomation. The study establishes the feasibility of developing effective, mono-specific antibodies against the Nigerian Carpet viper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahaya Tijani
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
| | - Hassan Zanna
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria
| | - Tan Choo Hock
- Venom Research and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Abubakar Shettima
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.
| | - Andrew Onu
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemical and Life Science, Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria
| | - Manasa Sugun
- Department of Bacteria and Vaccine Production, National Veterinary Research Institute, Plateau State, Nigeria
| | - David Ehizibolo
- Department of Infectious and Trans-boundary Animal Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute, Plateau State, Nigeria
| | - Abdulmalik Bello Shuaibu
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
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Misson Mindrebo LE, Mindrebo JT, Tran Q, Wilkinson MC, Smith JM, Verma M, Casewell NR, Lander GC, Jardine JG. Importance of the Cysteine-Rich Domain of Snake Venom Prothrombin Activators: Insights Gained from Synthetic Neutralizing Antibodies. Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:361. [PMID: 39195771 PMCID: PMC11360484 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16080361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2024] [Revised: 08/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Snake venoms are cocktails of biologically active molecules that have evolved to immobilize prey, but can also induce a severe pathology in humans that are bitten. While animal-derived polyclonal antivenoms are the primary treatment for snakebites, they often have limitations in efficacy and can cause severe adverse side effects. Building on recent efforts to develop improved antivenoms, notably through monoclonal antibodies, requires a comprehensive understanding of venom toxins. Among these toxins, snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) play a pivotal role, particularly in viper envenomation, causing tissue damage, hemorrhage and coagulation disruption. One of the current challenges in the development of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against SVMPs is the large size of the protein and the lack of existing knowledge of neutralizing epitopes. Here, we screened a synthetic human antibody library to isolate monoclonal antibodies against an SVMP from saw-scaled viper (genus Echis) venom. Upon characterization, several antibodies were identified that effectively blocked SVMP-mediated prothrombin activation. Cryo-electron microscopy revealed the structural basis of antibody-mediated neutralization, pinpointing the non-catalytic cysteine-rich domain of SVMPs as a crucial target. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms of SVMPs to counter their toxic effects, thus advancing the development of more effective antivenoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia E. Misson Mindrebo
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (L.E.M.M.); (Q.T.)
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, New York, NY 10004, USA
| | - Jeffrey T. Mindrebo
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (J.T.M.); (G.C.L.)
| | - Quoc Tran
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (L.E.M.M.); (Q.T.)
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, New York, NY 10004, USA
| | - Mark C. Wilkinson
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK; (M.C.W.); (N.R.C.)
| | | | - Megan Verma
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (L.E.M.M.); (Q.T.)
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, New York, NY 10004, USA
| | - Nicholas R. Casewell
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK; (M.C.W.); (N.R.C.)
| | - Gabriel C. Lander
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (J.T.M.); (G.C.L.)
| | - Joseph G. Jardine
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; (L.E.M.M.); (Q.T.)
- IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, New York, NY 10004, USA
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Ros-Lucas A, Bigey P, Chippaux JP, Gascón J, Alonso-Padilla J. Computer-Aided Analysis of West Sub-Saharan Africa Snakes Venom towards the Design of Epitope-Based Poly-Specific Antivenoms. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:418. [PMID: 35737079 PMCID: PMC9229730 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14060418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Snakebite envenomation is a neglected tropical disease that causes over 100,000 deaths each year. The only effective treatment consists of antivenoms derived from animal sera, but these have been deemed with highly variable potency and are usually inaccessible and too costly for victims. The production of antivenoms by venom-independent techniques, such as the immunization with multi-epitope constructs, could circumvent those drawbacks. Herein, we present a knowledge-based pipeline to prioritize potential epitopes of therapeutic relevance from toxins of medically important snakes in West Sub-Saharan Africa. It is mainly based on sequence conservation and protein structural features. The ultimately selected 41 epitopes originate from 11 out of 16 snake species considered of highest medical importance in the region and 3 out of 10 of those considered as secondary medical importance. Echis ocellatus, responsible for the highest casualties in the area, would be covered by 12 different epitopes. Remarkably, this pipeline is versatile and customizable for the analysis of snake venom sequences from any other region of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Ros-Lucas
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Pascal Bigey
- Université Paris Cité, CNRS, INSERM, UTCBS, F-75006 Paris, France;
- Chimie ParisTech, PSL University, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Philippe Chippaux
- MERIT, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France;
| | - Joaquim Gascón
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain;
- CIBERINFEC, ISCIII—CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Julio Alonso-Padilla
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic—University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain;
- CIBERINFEC, ISCIII—CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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Bermúdez-Méndez E, Fuglsang-Madsen A, Føns S, Lomonte B, Gutiérrez JM, Laustsen AH. Innovative Immunization Strategies for Antivenom Development. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:toxins10110452. [PMID: 30400220 PMCID: PMC6265855 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10110452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Snakes, scorpions, and spiders are venomous animals that pose a threat to human health, and severe envenomings from the bites or stings of these animals must be treated with antivenom. Current antivenoms are based on plasma-derived immunoglobulins or immunoglobulin fragments from hyper-immunized animals. Although these medicines have been life-saving for more than 120 years, opportunities to improve envenoming therapy exist. In the later decades, new biotechnological tools have been applied with the aim of improving the efficacy, safety, and affordability of antivenoms. Within the avenues explored, novel immunization strategies using synthetic peptide epitopes, recombinant toxins (or toxoids), or DNA strings as immunogens have demonstrated potential for generating antivenoms with high therapeutic antibody titers and broad neutralizing capacity. Furthermore, these approaches circumvent the need for venom in the production process of antivenoms, thereby limiting some of the complications associated with animal captivity and venom collection. Finally, an important benefit of innovative immunization approaches is that they are often compatible with existing antivenom manufacturing setups. In this review, we compile all reported studies examining venom-independent innovative immunization strategies for antivenom development. In addition, a brief description of toxin families of medical relevance found in snake, scorpion, and spider venoms is presented, as well as how biochemical, bioinformatic, and omics tools could aid the development of next-generation antivenoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Albert Fuglsang-Madsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 København N, Denmark.
| | - Sofie Føns
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica.
| | - José María Gutiérrez
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica.
| | - Andreas Hougaard Laustsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
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