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Sullivan JM, Aasen TL, Fisher CJ, Schaer M. Retrospective Evaluation of Clinical and Clinicopathologic Findings, Case Management, and Outcome for Dogs and Cats Exposed to Micrurus fulvius (Eastern Coral Snake): 92 Cases (2021-2022). Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:246. [PMID: 38922141 PMCID: PMC11209501 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16060246] [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: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
This retrospective, observational study describes the clinical findings, case management trends, and outcomes of 83 dogs and nine cats exposed to eastern coral snakes in a university teaching hospital setting. The medical records of dogs and cats that received antivenom following coral snake exposure were reviewed. Data collected included signalment, time to antivenom administration, physical and laboratory characteristics at presentation, clinical course during hospitalization, length of hospitalization, and survival to discharge. The mean time from presentation to coral snake antivenom administration was 2.26 ± 1.46 h. Excluding cases where the owner declined in-hospital care, the mean hospitalization time for dogs and cats was 50.8 h and 34 h, respectively. The mean number of antivenom vials was 1.29 (1-4). Gastrointestinal signs (vomiting and ptyalism) occurred in 42.2% (35/83) of dogs and 33.3% (3/9) of cats. Peripheral neurologic system deficits (ataxia, paresis to plegia, absent reflexes, and hypoventilation) were noted in 19.6% (18/92) of dogs and cats. Hemolysis was also common in 37.9% (25/66) of dogs but was not observed in cats. Mechanical ventilation (MV) was indicated in 12% (10/83) of dogs but no cats. Acute kidney injury (AKI), while rare, was a common cause of euthanasia at 20% (2/5) and was the most common complication during MV at 44.4% (4/9). Pigmenturia/hemolysis occurred in 88.9% (8/9) of MV cases and in all cases with AKI. Despite delays in antivenom administration by several hours, dogs and cats with coral snake exposure have low mortality rates (6% of dogs (5/83) and 0% of cats). Gastrointestinal signs were common but were not predictive of progression to neurological signs. Thus, differentiating between coral snake exposure and envenomation before the onset of neurological signs remains challenging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Michael Schaer
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Florida, 2015 S.W. 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32610-0144, USA; (J.M.S.); (T.L.A.); (C.J.F.)
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Benard-Valle M, Wouters Y, Ljungars A, Nguyen GTT, Ahmadi S, Ebersole TW, Dahl CH, Guadarrama-Martínez A, Jeppesen F, Eriksen H, Rodríguez-Barrera G, Boddum K, Jenkins TP, Bjørn SP, Schoffelen S, Voldborg BG, Alagón A, Laustsen AH. In vivo neutralization of coral snake venoms with an oligoclonal nanobody mixture in a murine challenge model. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4310. [PMID: 38773068 PMCID: PMC11109316 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48539-z] [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: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Oligoclonal mixtures of broadly-neutralizing antibodies can neutralize complex compositions of similar and dissimilar antigens, making them versatile tools for the treatment of e.g., infectious diseases and animal envenomations. However, these biotherapeutics are complicated to develop due to their complex nature. In this work, we describe the application of various strategies for the discovery of cross-neutralizing nanobodies against key toxins in coral snake venoms using phage display technology. We prepare two oligoclonal mixtures of nanobodies and demonstrate their ability to neutralize the lethality induced by two North American coral snake venoms in mice, while individual nanobodies fail to do so. We thus show that an oligoclonal mixture of nanobodies can neutralize the lethality of venoms where the clinical syndrome is caused by more than one toxin family in a murine challenge model. The approaches described may find utility for the development of advanced biotherapeutics against snakebite envenomation and other pathologies where multi-epitope targeting is beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melisa Benard-Valle
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Yessica Wouters
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anne Ljungars
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Giang Thi Tuyet Nguyen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Shirin Ahmadi
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Tasja Wainani Ebersole
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Camilla Holst Dahl
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alid Guadarrama-Martínez
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Mor, 62210, México
| | - Frederikke Jeppesen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Helena Eriksen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Gibran Rodríguez-Barrera
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Mor, 62210, México
| | - Kim Boddum
- Sophion Bioscience, DK-2750, Ballerup, Denmark
| | - Timothy Patrick Jenkins
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sara Petersen Bjørn
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sanne Schoffelen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Bjørn Gunnar Voldborg
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Alagón
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Mor, 62210, México
| | - Andreas Hougaard Laustsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Kongens, Lyngby, Denmark.
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Tulika T, Pedersen RW, Rimbault C, Ahmadi S, Rivera‐de‐Torre E, Fernández‐Quintero ML, Loeffler JR, Bohn M, Ljungars A, Ledsgaard L, Voldborg BG, Ruso‐Julve F, Andersen JT, Laustsen AH. Phage display assisted discovery of a pH-dependent anti-α-cobratoxin antibody from a natural variable domain library. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4821. [PMID: 37897425 PMCID: PMC10659949 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4821] [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: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Recycling IgG antibodies bind to their target antigen at physiological pH in the blood stream and release them upon endocytosis when pH levels drop, allowing the IgG antibodies to be recycled into circulation via FcRn-mediated cellular pathways, while the antigens undergo lysosomal degradation. This enables recycling antibodies to achieve comparable therapeutic effect at lower doses than their non-recycling counterparts. The development of such antibodies is typically achieved by histidine doping of their variable regions or by performing in vitro antibody selection campaigns utilizing histidine doped libraries. Both are strategies that may introduce sequence liabilities. Here, we present a methodology that employs a naïve antibody phage display library, consisting of natural variable domains, to discover antibodies that bind α-cobratoxin from the venom of Naja kaouthia in a pH-dependent manner. As a result, an antibody was discovered that exhibits a 7-fold higher off-rate at pH 5.5 than pH 7.4 in bio-layer interferometry experiments. Interestingly, no histidine residues were found in its variable domains, and in addition, the antibody showed pH-dependent binding to a histidine-devoid antigen mutant. As such, the results demonstrate that pH-dependent antigen-antibody binding may not always be driven by histidine residues. By employing molecular dynamics simulations, different protonation states of titratable residues were found, which potentially could be responsible for the observed pH-dependent antigen binding properties of the antibody. Finally, given the typically high diversity of naïve antibody libraries, the methodology presented here can likely be applied to discover recycling antibodies against different targets ab initio without the need for histidine doping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tulika Tulika
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Rasmus W. Pedersen
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Charlotte Rimbault
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Shirin Ahmadi
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | | | - Monica L. Fernández‐Quintero
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, Department of GeneralInorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of InnsbruckInnsbruckAustria
| | - Johannes R. Loeffler
- Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, Department of GeneralInorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of InnsbruckInnsbruckAustria
| | - Markus‐Frederik Bohn
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Anne Ljungars
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Line Ledsgaard
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Bjørn G. Voldborg
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
| | - Fulgencio Ruso‐Julve
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- Department of ImmunologyOslo University Hospital RikshospitaletOsloNorway
- Precision Immunotherapy AllianceUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Jan Terje Andersen
- Department of PharmacologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- Department of ImmunologyOslo University Hospital RikshospitaletOsloNorway
- Precision Immunotherapy AllianceUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Andreas H. Laustsen
- Department of Biotechnology and BiomedicineTechnical University of DenmarkLyngbyDenmark
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Rodríguez-Vargas A, Franco-Vásquez AM, Bolívar-Barbosa JA, Vega N, Reyes-Montaño E, Arreguín-Espinosa R, Carbajal-Saucedo A, Angarita-Sierra T, Ruiz-Gómez F. Unveiling the Venom Composition of the Colombian Coral Snakes Micrurus helleri, M. medemi, and M. sangilensis. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:622. [PMID: 37999485 PMCID: PMC10674450 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15110622] [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: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known of the biochemical composition and functional features of the venoms of poorly known Colombian coral snakes. Here, we provide a preliminary characterization of the venom of two Colombian endemic coral snake species, Micrurus medemi and M. sangilensis, as well as Colombian populations of M. helleri. Electrophoresis and RP-HPLC techniques were used to identify venom components, and assays were conducted to detect enzyme activities, including phospholipase A2, hyaluronidase, and protease activities. The median lethal dose was determined using murine models. Cytotoxic activities in primary cultures from hippocampal neurons and cancer cell lines were evaluated. The venom profiles revealed similarities in electrophoretic separation among proteins under 20 kDa. The differences in chromatographic profiles were significant, mainly between the fractions containing medium-/large-sized and hydrophobic proteins; this was corroborated by a proteomic analysis which showed the expected composition of neurotoxins from the PLA2 (~38%) and 3FTx (~17%) families; however, a considerable quantity of metalloproteinases (~12%) was detected. PLA2 activity and protease activity were higher in M. helleri venom according to qualitative and quantitative assays. M. medemi venom had the highest lethality. All venoms decreased cell viability when tested on tumoral cell cultures, and M. helleri venom had the highest activity in neuronal primary culture. These preliminary studies shed light on the venoms of understudied coral snakes and broaden the range of sources that could be used for subsequent investigations of components with applications to specific diseases. Our findings also have implications for the clinical manifestations of snake envenoming and improvements in its medical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariadna Rodríguez-Vargas
- Grupo de Investigación en Proteínas, Departamento de Química, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 11001, Colombia (N.V.); (E.R.-M.)
- Grupo de Investigación en Animales Ponzoñosos y sus Venenos, Dirección de Producción, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá 111321, Colombia; (T.A.-S.); (F.R.-G.)
| | - Adrián Marcelo Franco-Vásquez
- Departamento de Química de Biomacromoléculas, Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico (R.A.-E.)
| | - Janeth Alejandra Bolívar-Barbosa
- Grupo de Investigación en Proteínas, Departamento de Química, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 11001, Colombia (N.V.); (E.R.-M.)
| | - Nohora Vega
- Grupo de Investigación en Proteínas, Departamento de Química, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 11001, Colombia (N.V.); (E.R.-M.)
| | - Edgar Reyes-Montaño
- Grupo de Investigación en Proteínas, Departamento de Química, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 11001, Colombia (N.V.); (E.R.-M.)
| | - Roberto Arreguín-Espinosa
- Departamento de Química de Biomacromoléculas, Instituto de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico (R.A.-E.)
| | - Alejandro Carbajal-Saucedo
- Laboratorio de Herpetología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de los Garza 66450, Mexico;
| | - Teddy Angarita-Sierra
- Grupo de Investigación en Animales Ponzoñosos y sus Venenos, Dirección de Producción, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá 111321, Colombia; (T.A.-S.); (F.R.-G.)
- Grupo de investigación Biodiversidad para la Sociedad, Escuela de pregrados, Dirección Académica, Universidad Nacional de Colombia sede de La Paz, Cesar 22010, Colombia
| | - Francisco Ruiz-Gómez
- Grupo de Investigación en Animales Ponzoñosos y sus Venenos, Dirección de Producción, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá 111321, Colombia; (T.A.-S.); (F.R.-G.)
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5
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Couceiro FYGM, Demico PJ, Dias SR, Oliveira IN, Pacagnelli FL, Silva EO, Sant'Anna SS, Grego KF, Morais-Zani K, Torres-Bonilla KA, Hyslop S, Floriano RS. Involvement of phospholipase A 2 in the neuromuscular blockade caused by coralsnake (Micrurus spp.) venoms in mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm preparations in vitro. Toxicon 2023; 234:107263. [PMID: 37659667 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we examined the neuromuscular blockade caused by venoms from four South-American coralsnakes (Micrurus altirostris - MA, M. corallinus - MC, M. spixii - MS, and M. dumerilii carinicauda - MDC) and the ability of varespladib (VPL), a phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitor, to attenuate this blockade. PLA2 activity was determined using a colorimetric assay and a fixed amount of venom (10 μg). Neurotoxicity was assayed using a single concentration of venom (10 μg/ml) in mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm (PND) preparations mounted for myographic recordings and then subjected to histological analysis. All venoms showed PLA2 activity, with MS and MA venoms having the highest (15.53 ± 1.9 A425 nm/min) and lowest (0.23 ± 0.14 A425 nm/min) activities, respectively. VPL (292 and 438 μM) inhibited the PLA2 activity of all venoms, although that of MA venom was least affected. All venoms caused neuromuscular blockade, with MS and MDC venoms causing the fastest and slowest 100% blockade [in 40 ± 3 min and 120 ± 6 min (n = 4), respectively]; MA and MC produced complete blockade within 90-100 min. Preincubation of venoms with 292 μM VPL attenuated the blockade to varying degrees: the greatest inhibition was seen with MDC venom and blockade by MS venom was unaffected by this inhibitor. These results indicate that PLA2 has a variable contribution to coralsnake venom-induced neuromuscular blockade in vitro, with the insensitivity of MS venom to VPL suggesting that blockade by this venom is mediated predominantly by post-synaptically-active α-neurotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Y G M Couceiro
- Laboratory of Toxinology and Cardiovascular Research, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil
| | - Poliana J Demico
- Laboratory of Toxinology and Cardiovascular Research, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil
| | - Samuel R Dias
- Laboratory of Toxinology and Cardiovascular Research, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil
| | - Isabele N Oliveira
- Laboratory of Toxinology and Cardiovascular Research, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil
| | - Francis L Pacagnelli
- Laboratory of Toxinology and Cardiovascular Research, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil
| | - Elisangela O Silva
- Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy, Veterinary Hospital, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil
| | - Sávio S Sant'Anna
- Laboratory of Herpetology, Butantan Institute (IB), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Kathleen F Grego
- Laboratory of Herpetology, Butantan Institute (IB), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Karen Morais-Zani
- Laboratory of Herpetology, Butantan Institute (IB), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Kristian A Torres-Bonilla
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Stephen Hyslop
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Rafael S Floriano
- Laboratory of Toxinology and Cardiovascular Research, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
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Antibodies against a single fraction of Micrurus dumerilii venom neutralize the lethal effect of whole venom. Toxicol Lett 2023; 374:77-84. [PMID: 36528173 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The coralsnake Micrurus dumerilii (Elapidae) is reported to cause envenomings of medical importance. Previous studies characterized the protein composition of its venom, with phospholipase A2 (PLA2) proteins the most abundant. However, it is unknown which venom components are responsible for its lethal toxicity. Fractionation of M. dumerilii venom from Colombia was carried out using RP-HPLC and each fraction was screened for lethal effect in mice at a dose of 20 μg by intraperitoneal route. Results showed that only one fraction, F9, was lethal. This fraction displayed PLA2 activity, induced indirect hemolysis in vitro, as well as edema and myotoxicity in vivo. SDS-PAGE of unreduced F9 evidenced two bands of 8 and 15 kDa, respectively, consistent with the detection of proteins with masses of 13,217.77 Da, 7144.06 Da, and 7665.55 Da. Tryptic digestion of F9 followed by nESI-MS/MS revealed peptide sequences matching proteins of the three-finger toxin (3FTx) and PLA2 families. Immunization of a rabbit with F9 proteins elicited antibody titers up to 1:10,000 by ELISA. After serum fractionation with caprylic acid, the obtained IgG was able to neutralize the lethal effect of the complete venom of M. dumerilii using a challenge of 2 ×LD50 at the IgG/venom ratio of 50:1 (w/w). In conclusion, present results show that the lethal effect of M. dumerilii venom in mice is mainly driven by one fraction which contains 3FTx and PLA2 proteins. The antibodies produced against this fraction cross-recognized other PLA2s and neutralized the lethal effect of whole M. dumerilii venom, pointing out to the potential usefulness of F9 as a relevant antigen for improving current coral snake antivenoms.
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Corrêa-Netto C, Strauch MA, Monteiro-Machado M, Teixeira-Araújo R, Fonseca JG, Leitão-Araújo M, Machado-Alves ML, Sanz L, Calvete JJ, Melo PA, Zingali RB. Monoclonal-Based Antivenomics Reveals Conserved Neutralizing Epitopes in Type I PLA 2 Molecules from Coral Snakes. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 15:toxins15010015. [PMID: 36668835 PMCID: PMC9863321 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15010015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
For over a century, polyclonal antibodies have been used to treat snakebite envenoming and are still considered by the WHO as the only scientifically validated treatment for snakebites. Nevertheless, moderate innovations have been introduced to this immunotherapy. New strategies and approaches to understanding how antibodies recognize and neutralize snake toxins represent a challenge for next-generation antivenoms. The neurotoxic activity of Micrurus venom is mainly due to two distinct protein families, three-finger toxins (3FTx) and phospholipases A2 (PLA2). Structural conservation among protein family members may represent an opportunity to generate neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against family-conserved epitopes. In this work, we sought to produce a set of monoclonal antibodies against the most toxic components of M. altirostris venom. To this end, the crude venom was fractionated, and its major toxic proteins were identified and used to generate a panel of five mAbs. The specificity of these mAbs was characterized by ELISA and antivenomics approaches. Two of the generated mAbs recognized PLA2 epitopes. They inhibited PLA2 catalytic activity and showed paraspecific neutralization against the myotoxicity from the lethal effect of Micrurus and Naja venoms' PLA2s. Epitope conservation among venom PLA2 molecules suggests the possibility of generating pan-PLA2 neutralizing antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Corrêa-Netto
- Instituto Vital Brazil, Rio de Janeiro 24230-410, RJ, Brazil
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Instituto Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Correspondence: (C.C.-N.); (R.B.Z.); Tel.: +55-213-938-6782 (R.B.Z.)
| | - Marcelo A. Strauch
- Instituto Vital Brazil, Rio de Janeiro 24230-410, RJ, Brazil
- Programa de Farmacologia e Química Medicinal-UFRJ, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcos Monteiro-Machado
- Programa de Farmacologia e Química Medicinal-UFRJ, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Teixeira-Araújo
- Instituto Vital Brazil, Rio de Janeiro 24230-410, RJ, Brazil
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Instituto Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Moema Leitão-Araújo
- Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul, Museu de Ciências Naturais, Núcleo Regional de Ofiologia de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre 90690-000, RS, Brazil
| | - Maria Lúcia Machado-Alves
- Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul, Museu de Ciências Naturais, Núcleo Regional de Ofiologia de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre 90690-000, RS, Brazil
| | - Libia Sanz
- Laboratorio de Venómica Estructural y Funcional, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Juan J. Calvete
- Laboratorio de Venómica Estructural y Funcional, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Paulo A. Melo
- Programa de Farmacologia e Química Medicinal-UFRJ, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Russolina Benedeta Zingali
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Instituto Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Correspondence: (C.C.-N.); (R.B.Z.); Tel.: +55-213-938-6782 (R.B.Z.)
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Hernández-Altamirano JA, Salazar-Valenzuela D, Medina-Villamizar EJ, Quirola DR, Patel K, Vaiyapuri S, Lomonte B, Almeida JR. First Insights into the Venom Composition of Two Ecuadorian Coral Snakes. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314686. [PMID: 36499012 PMCID: PMC9740791 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Micrurus is a medically relevant genus of venomous snakes composed of 85 species. Bites caused by coral snakes are rare, but they are usually associated with very severe and life-threatening clinical manifestations. Ecuador is a highly biodiverse country with a complex natural environment, which is home to approximately 20% of identified Micrurus species. Additionally, it is on the list of Latin American countries with the highest number of snakebites. However, there is no local antivenom available against the Ecuadorian snake venoms, and the biochemistry of these venoms has been poorly explored. Only a limited number of samples collected in the country from the Viperidae family were recently characterised. Therefore, this study addressed the compositional patterns of two coral snake venoms from Ecuador, M. helleri and M. mipartitus, using venomics strategies, integrating sample fractionation, gel electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry. Chromatographic and electrophoretic profiles of these snake venoms revealed interspecific variability, which was ascertained by mass spectrometry. The two venoms followed the recently recognised dichotomic toxin expression trends displayed by Micrurus species: M. helleri venom contains a high proportion (72%) of phospholipase A2, whereas M. mipartitus venom is dominated by three-finger toxins (63%). A few additional protein families were also detected in these venoms. Overall, these results provide the first comprehensive views on the composition of two Ecuadorian coral snake venoms and expand the knowledge of Micrurus venom phenotypes. These findings open novel perspectives to further research the functional aspects of these biological cocktails of PLA2s and 3FTxs and stress the need for the preclinical evaluation of the currently used antivenoms for therapeutic purposes in Ecuador.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Salazar-Valenzuela
- Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BioCamb) e Ingeniería en Biodiversidad y Recursos Genéticos, Facultad de Ciencias de Medio Ambiente, Universidad Indoamérica, Quito 180103, Ecuador
| | | | - Diego R. Quirola
- Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BioCamb) e Ingeniería en Biodiversidad y Recursos Genéticos, Facultad de Ciencias de Medio Ambiente, Universidad Indoamérica, Quito 180103, Ecuador
| | - Ketan Patel
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6UB, UK
| | | | - Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Jose 11501, Costa Rica
| | - José R. Almeida
- Biomolecules Discovery Group, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Km 8 Via Muyuna, Tena 150101, Ecuador
- School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6UB, UK
- Correspondence:
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9
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Varespladib (LY315920) rescued mice from fatal neurotoxicity caused by venoms of five major Asiatic kraits (Bungarus spp.) in an experimental envenoming and rescue model. Acta Trop 2022; 227:106289. [PMID: 34929179 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The venoms of Asiatic kraits (Bungarus spp.) contain various neurotoxic phospholipases A2 (beta-bungarotoxins) which can irreversibly damage motor nerve terminals, resulting in rapidly fatal suffocation by respiratory muscle paralysis or oral airway obstruction. Hence, there is a need of adjunct therapy at the pre-hospital stage to prevent or delay the onset of neurotoxicity, so that antivenom can be given within golden hour before the envenoming becomes antivenom-resistant. This study investigated the efficacy of varespladib, a small molecule PLA2 (phospholipase A2) inhibitor, given as a bolus subcutaneously upon the onset of krait venom-induced paralysis in a mouse experimental envenoming and rescue model, where the severity of neurotoxicity was scored and the survival rate was monitored over 24 h. Varespladib at 10 mg/kg effectively alleviated the neurotoxicity of Bungarus sindanus, Bungarus multicinctus and Bungarus fasciatus venoms, and rescued all mice from venom-induced lethality (100% survival). Varespladib at this dose, however, only partially reduced the neurotoxicity of Bungarus caeruleus and Bungarus candidus venoms, while all challenged mice were dead by 23 h (B. caeruleus) and 12 h (B. candidus). An increased dose of varespladib at 20 mg/kg markedly abated the venom neurotoxicity past 8 h of envenoming, and protected the mice from venom lethality (B. caeruleus: 75% survival; B. candidus: 100% survival). The finding is consistent with previous studies which demonstrated varespladib's inhibitory effect against some snake venoms. The findings suggest varespladib could be repurposed as an emergency drug for prevention or rescue (if given early enough) from the acute, neurotoxic envenoming syndromes caused by various major krait species in Asia.
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10
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Santos NFTD, Imberg ADS, Mariano DOC, Moraes ACD, Andrade-Silva J, Fernandes CM, Sobral AC, Giannotti KC, Kuwabara WMT, Pimenta DC, Maria DA, Sandoval MRL, Afeche SC. β-micrustoxin (Mlx-9), a PLA2 from Micrurus lemniscatus snake venom: biochemical characterization and anti-proliferative effect mediated by p53. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2022; 28:e20210094. [PMID: 35432496 PMCID: PMC9008913 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2021-0094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Endogenous phospholipases A2 (PLA2) play a fundamental role in inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, apoptosis and cellular senescence. Neurotoxins with PLA2 activity are found in snake venoms from the Elapidae and Viperidae families. The mechanism of action of these neurotoxins have been studied using hippocampal and cerebellar neuronal cultures showing [Ca2+]i increase, mitochondrial depolarization and cell death. Astrocytes are rarely used as a model, despite being modulators at the synapses and responsible for homeostasis and defense in the central nervous system. Preserving the cell division ability, they can be utilized to study the cell proliferation process. In the present work cultured astrocytes and glioblastoma cells were employed to characterize the action of β-micrustoxin (previously named Mlx-9), a PLA2 isolated from Micrurus lemniscatus snake venom. The β-micrustoxin structure was determined and the cell proliferation, cell cycle phases and the regulatory proteins p53, p21 and p27 were investigated. Methods β-micrustoxin was characterized biochemically by a proteomic approach. Astrocytes were obtained by dissociation of pineal glands from Wistar rats; glioblastoma tumor cells were purchased from ATCC and Sigma and cultured in DMEM medium. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay; cell proliferation and cell cycle phases were analyzed by flow cytometry; p53, p21 and p27 proteins were studied by western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Results Proteomic analysis revealed fragments on β-micrustoxin that aligned with a PLA2 from Micrurus lemniscatus lemniscatus previously identified as transcript ID DN112835_C3_g9_i1/m.9019. β-micrustoxin impaired the viability of astrocytes and glioblastoma tumor cells. There was a reduction in cell proliferation, an increase in G2/M phase and activation of p53, p21 and p27 proteins in astrocytes. Conclusion These findings indicate that β-micrustoxin from Micrurus lemniscatus venom could inhibit cell proliferation through p53, p21 and p27 activation thus imposing cell cycle arrest at the checkpoint G2/M.
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11
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Abdullah NAH, Rusmili MRA, Zainal Abidin SA, Shaikh MF, Hodgson WC, Othman I. Isolation and Characterization of A2-EPTX-Nsm1a, a Secretory Phospholipase A 2 from Malaysian Spitting Cobra ( Naja sumatrana) Venom. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13120859. [PMID: 34941697 PMCID: PMC8709200 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13120859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) toxins are one of the main toxin families found in snake venom. PLA2 toxins are associated with various detrimental effects, including neurotoxicity, myotoxicity, hemostatic disturbances, nephrotoxicity, edema, and inflammation. Although Naja sumatrana venom contains substantial quantities of PLA2 components, there is limited information on the function and activities of PLA2 toxins from the venom. In this study, a secretory PLA2 from the venom of Malaysian N. sumatrana, subsequently named A2-EPTX-Nsm1a, was isolated, purified, and characterized. A2-EPTX-Nsm1a was purified using a mass spectrometry-guided approach and multiple chromatography steps. Based on LC-MSMS, A2-EPTX-Nsm1a was found to show high sequence similarity with PLA2 from venoms of other Naja species. The PLA2 activity of A2-EPTX-Nsm1 was inhibited by 4-BPB and EDTA. A2-EPTX-Nsm1a was significantly less cytotoxic in a neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y) compared to crude venom and did not show a concentration-dependent cytotoxic activity. To our knowledge, this is the first study that characterizes and investigates the cytotoxicity of an Asp49 PLA2 isolated from Malaysian N. sumatrana venom in a human neuroblastoma cell line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Atiqah Haizum Abdullah
- Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia; (S.A.Z.A.); (M.F.S.)
- Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
- Correspondence: or (N.A.H.A.); (I.O.)
| | - Muhamad Rusdi Ahmad Rusmili
- Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, Kuantan Campus, International Islamic University Malaysia, Bandar Indera Mahkota, Kuantan 25200, Malaysia;
| | - Syafiq Asnawi Zainal Abidin
- Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia; (S.A.Z.A.); (M.F.S.)
| | - Mohd Farooq Shaikh
- Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia; (S.A.Z.A.); (M.F.S.)
| | - Wayne C. Hodgson
- Monash Venom Group, Department of Pharmacology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia;
| | - Iekhsan Othman
- Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia; (S.A.Z.A.); (M.F.S.)
- Correspondence: or (N.A.H.A.); (I.O.)
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12
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Baudou FG, Rodriguez JP, Fusco L, de Roodt AR, De Marzi MC, Leiva L. South American snake venoms with abundant neurotoxic components. Composition and toxicological properties. A literature review. Acta Trop 2021; 224:106119. [PMID: 34481791 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
In South America there are three snake genera with predominantly neurotoxic venoms: Crotalus, Micrurus and Hydrophis, which include nine species/subspecies, 97 species and a single marine species, respectively. Although accidents with neurotoxic venoms are less frequent than those with anticoagulant, cytotoxic or necrotic venoms (e.g. from Bothrops), they are of major public health importance. Venoms from genus Crotalus have been extensively studied, while data on the venoms from the other two genera are very limited, especially for Hydrophis. The venoms of North and South American Crotalus species show biochemical and physiopathological differences. The former species cause bothrops-like envenomation symptoms, while the latter mainly have neurotoxic and myotoxic effects, leading to respiratory paralysis and, occasionally, renal failure by myoglobinuria and death, often with no local lesions. Micrurus and Hydrophis also cause neurotoxic envenomations. Many studies have isolated, identified and characterized new enzymes and toxins, thus expanding the knowledge of snake venom composition. The present review summarizes the currently available information on neurotoxic venoms from South American snakes, with a focus on protein composition and toxicological properties. It also includes some comments concerning potential medical applications of elapid and crotalic toxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico G Baudou
- Universidad Nacional de Luján (UNLu), Depto. de Ciencias Básicas, Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratorio de Inmunología, Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable (INEDES), UNLu-CONICET, Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Juan P Rodriguez
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de la Facultad de Medicina (LIBIM), Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino (IQUIBA-NEA), Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (UNNE-CONICET), Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Luciano Fusco
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Proteínas (LabInPro), IQUIBA-NEA (UNNE, CONICET), FaCENA, (UNNE), Corrientes, Argentina
| | - Adolfo R de Roodt
- Área Investigación y Desarrollo-Venenos, Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos, Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Argentina; Primera Cátedra de Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratorio de Toxinopatología, Centro de Patología Experimental y Aplicada, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mauricio C De Marzi
- Universidad Nacional de Luján (UNLu), Depto. de Ciencias Básicas, Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laboratorio de Inmunología, Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable (INEDES), UNLu-CONICET, Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura Leiva
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Proteínas (LabInPro), IQUIBA-NEA (UNNE, CONICET), FaCENA, (UNNE), Corrientes, Argentina
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In vivo treatment with varespladib, a phospholipase A 2 inhibitor, prevents the peripheral neurotoxicity and systemic disorders induced by Micrurus corallinus (coral snake) venom in rats. Toxicol Lett 2021; 356:54-63. [PMID: 34774704 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2021.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the action of varespladib (VPL) alone or in combination with a coral snake antivenom (CAV) on the local and systemic effects induced by Micrurus corallinus venom in rats. Adult male Wistar rats were exposed to venom (1.5 mg/kg - i.m.) and immediately treated with CAV (antivenom:venom ratio 1:1.5 'v/w' - i.p.), VPL (0.5 mg/kg - i.p.), or both of these treatments. The animals were monitored for 120 min and then anesthetized to collect blood samples used for haematological and serum biochemical analysis; after euthanasia, skeletal muscle, renal and hepatic tissue samples were collected for histopathological analysis. M. corallinus venom caused local oedema without subcutaneous haemorrhage or apparent necrosis formation, although there was accentuated muscle morphological damage; none of the treatments prevented oedema formation but the combination of CAV and VPL reduced venom-induced myonecrosis. Venom caused neuromuscular paralysis and respiratory impairment in approximately 60 min following envenomation; CAV alone did not prevent the neurotoxic action, whereas VPL alone prevented neurotoxic symptoms developing as did the combination of CAV and VPL. Venom induced significant increase of serum CK and AST release, mostly due to local and systemic myotoxicity, which was partially prevented by the combination of CAV and VPL. The release of hepatotoxic serum biomarkers (LDH and ALP) induced by M. corallinus venom was not prevented by CAV and VPL when individually administered; their combination effectively prevented ALP release. The venom-induced nephrotoxicity (increase in serum creatinine concentration) was prevented by all the treatments. VPL alone or in combination with CAV significantly prevented the venom-induced lymphocytosis. In conclusion, VPL shows to be effective at preventing the neurotoxic, nephrotoxic, and inflammatory activities of M. corallinus venom. In addition, VPL acts synergistically with antivenom to prevent a number of systemic effects caused by M. corallinus venom.
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14
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Rafael de Roodt A, Lanari LC, Ramírez JE, Gómez C, Barragán J, Litwin S, Henriët van Grootheest J, Desio M, Dokmetjian JC, Dolab JA, Damin CF, Alagón A. Cross-reactivity of some Micrurus venoms against experimental and therapeutic anti-Micrurus antivenoms. Toxicon 2021; 200:153-164. [PMID: 34303716 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
We developed experimental equine polyvalent and monovalent antivenoms against the venoms of Micrurus (M.) fulvius, M. nigrocinctus and M. surinamensis and studied their immunochemical reactivity on the venoms used as immunogens and on M. pyrrhocryptus, M altirostris and M. balyocoriphus venoms. Assessment of the neutralizing capacity of the polyvalent experimental antivenom was based on inhibition of lethality (preincubation and rescue assay experiments in mice) and indirect hemolytic and phospholipase activities. The immunochemical reactivity and neutralizing capacity were compared with those of two therapeutic antivenoms used for the treatment of coral snake envenomation in North America and in Argentina. In general, the experimental antivenom conferred a comparable level of neutralization against the venoms used as immunogens when compared to the therapeutic antivenoms and a certain level of cross-neutralization against the other venoms. The results suggest the need for additional venoms in the immunogenic mixture used, in order to obtain a broad spectrum anti-Micrurus antivenom with a good neutralizing potency. Paraspecific neutralization of South American coral snake venoms, although present at a higher level than the neutralization conferred by available nonspecific Micrurus therapeutic antivenoms, was rather low in relation to the specific neutralizing capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adolfo Rafael de Roodt
- Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos, ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Ministerio de Salud, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Primera Cátedra de Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Laura Cecilia Lanari
- Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos, ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Ministerio de Salud, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Carlos Gómez
- Cátedra de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina
| | - Javier Barragán
- Cátedra de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina
| | - Silvana Litwin
- Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos, ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Ministerio de Salud, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jantine Henriët van Grootheest
- Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos, ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Ministerio de Salud, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcela Desio
- Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos, ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Ministerio de Salud, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - José Christian Dokmetjian
- Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos, ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Ministerio de Salud, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jorge Adrián Dolab
- Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos, ANLIS "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Ministerio de Salud, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carlos Fabián Damin
- Primera Cátedra de Toxicología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alejandro Alagón
- Instituto de Biotecnología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
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Bénard-Valle M, Neri-Castro E, Elizalde-Morales N, Olvera-Rodríguez A, Strickland J, Acosta G, Alagón A. Protein composition and biochemical characterization of venom from Sonoran Coral Snakes (Micruroides euryxanthus). Biochimie 2021; 182:206-216. [PMID: 33485932 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2021.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The elapid genus, Micruroides, is considered the sister clade of all New World coral snakes (Genus Micrurus), is monotypic, and is represented by Sonoran Coral Snakes, Micruroides euryxanthus. Coral snakes of the genus Micrurus have been reported to have venoms that are predominantly composed of phospholipases A2 (PLA2) or three finger toxins (3FTx), but the venoms of the genus Micruroides are almost completely unstudied. Here, we present the first description of the venom of M. euryxanthus including identification of some proteins as well as transcriptomic, and biological activity assays. The most abundant components within M. euryxanthus venom are 3FTxs (62.3%) and there was relatively low proportion of PLA2s (14.2%). The venom phenotype supports the hypothesis that the common ancestor of Micrurus and Micruroides had a 3FTx-dominated venom. Within the venom, there were two nearly identical α-neurotoxins (α-Ntx), one of which was designated Eurytoxin, that account for approximately 60% of the venom's lethality to mice. Eurytoxin was cloned, expressed in a soluble and active form, and used to produce rabbit hyperimmune serum. This allowed the analysis of its immunochemical properties, showing them to be different from the recombinant αNTx D.H., present in the venoms of some species of Micrurus. Finally, we observed that the commercial antivenom produced in Mexico for coral snake envenomation is unable to neutralize the lethality from M. euryxanthus venom. This work allowed the classification of Micruroides venom into the 3FTx-predominant group and identified the main components responsible for toxicity to mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melisa Bénard-Valle
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad # 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, CP: 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Edgar Neri-Castro
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad # 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, CP: 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Nicolás Elizalde-Morales
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad # 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, CP: 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Olvera-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad # 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, CP: 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Jason Strickland
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29632, USA; Department of Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA
| | - Gerardo Acosta
- MIVIA. Museo Itinerante de Vida Animal, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Alagón
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad # 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, CP: 62210, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
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Archundia IG, de la Rosa G, Olvera F, Calderón A, Benard-Valle M, Alagón A, Corzo G. Assessment of neutralization of Micrurus venoms with a blend of anti-Micrurus tener and anti-ScNtx antibodies. Vaccine 2021; 39:1000-1006. [PMID: 33423840 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.12.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Micrurus venoms contain two main groups of toxic protein components: short-chain α-neurotoxins (SNtx) and phospholipases type A2 (PLA2). In North America, generally, the Micrurus venoms have low abundance of SNtx compared to that of PLA2s; however, both are highly toxic to mammals, and consequently both can play a major role in the envenomation processes. Concerning the commercial horse-derived antivenoms against Micrurus from the North America region, they contain a relatively large amount of antibodies against PLA2s, and a low content of antibodies against short chain α-neurotoxins. This is mainly due to the lower relative abundance of SNtxs, and also to its poor immunogenicity due to their size and nature. Hence, Micrurus antivenoms made in North America usually present low neutralizing capacity towards Micrurus venoms whose lethality depend largely on short chain α-neurotoxins, such as South American Micrurus species. METHODS Horses were hyperimmunized with either the venom of M. tener (PLA2-predominant) or a recombinant short-chain consensus α-neurotoxin (ScNtx). Then, the combination of the two monospecific horse antibodies (anti-M. tener and anti-ScNtx) was used to test their efficacy against eleven Micrurus venoms. RESULTS The blend of anti-M. tener and anti-ScNtx antibodies had a better capacity to neutralize the lethality of diverse species from North, Central and South American Micrurus venoms. The antibodies combination neutralized both the ScNtx and ten out of eleven Micrurus venom tested, and particularly, it neutralized the venoms of M. distans and M. laticollaris that were neither neutralized by monospecific anti-M. tener nor anti-ScNtx. CONCLUSIONS These results provide a proof-of-principle for using recombinant immunogens to enrich poor or even non-neutralizing antisera against elapid venoms containing short chain α-neurotoxins to develop antivenoms with higher effectiveness and broader neutralizing capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irving G Archundia
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología - UNAM, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Guillermo de la Rosa
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S3E1, Canada.
| | - Felipe Olvera
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología - UNAM, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Arlene Calderón
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología - UNAM, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Melisa Benard-Valle
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología - UNAM, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Alejandro Alagón
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología - UNAM, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico
| | - Gerardo Corzo
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología - UNAM, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62210, Mexico.
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Titelbaum NV, Hughes MJ, Wilson JL. Myalgia as a Symptom of Envenomation by the Eastern Coral Snake, Micrurus Fulvius: A Case Report. Wilderness Environ Med 2020; 32:63-69. [PMID: 33309199 DOI: 10.1016/j.wem.2020.08.004] [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: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We present the case of a patient who developed myalgia as the primary symptom of envenomation by the eastern coral snake, Micrurus fulvius. The patient was evaluated and treated in the emergency department. Physical examination did not demonstrate any neuromuscular abnormalities. On consultation with the poison control center, the patient's myalgia was determined to be an effect of envenomation, and 5 vials of North American coral snake antivenin were administered. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit where his symptoms resolved. He was discharged the following day after remaining asymptomatic for 24 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas V Titelbaum
- University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL; Ocala Regional Emergency Department, Ocala Regional Medical Center, Ocala, FL.
| | - Michael J Hughes
- University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL; Ocala Regional Emergency Department, Ocala Regional Medical Center, Ocala, FL
| | - James L Wilson
- Ocala Regional Emergency Department, Ocala Regional Medical Center, Ocala, FL
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18
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Maxwell K, Fraser B, Schaer M, Allen A. A retrospective evaluation of eastern coral snake envenomation and antivenom administration in cats: 30 cases (2012-2019). Toxicon 2020; 191:38-43. [PMID: 33316296 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.11.177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Thirty cats were identified to be have been suspected to have a potential coral snake envenomation after searching medical records from 2012 to 2019 at a university teaching hospital. The records were reviewed and evaluated for signalment, date and time of the snake encounter, elapsed time between encounter and hospital examination, presenting complaint, initial physical examination findings, initial laboratory findings, antivenom dose and duration of administration, adverse reactions to antivenom, additional treatments administered, progression of clinical signs, length of hospitalization, and outcome. Thirteen cats presented with clinical signs consistent with envenomation while 17 cats were treated for possible asymptomatic envenomation, as defined by the owner discovering a live or dead coral snake in their home or on their property. Initial physical examination findings included tachypnea with short shallow breaths and use of accessory muscles; tetraparesis with normal or decreased to absent spinal reflexes; cranial nerve deficits including decreased to absent gag, slow pupillary light reflexes, and absent physiologic nystagmus; and normal or altered mentation. Laboratory findings included hypercapnia, hyperglycemia, hypokalemia, increased aspartate aminotransferase activity, increased alanine aminotransferase activity, echinocytosis, leukocytosis, azotemia, and hyperlactatemia. Twenty-eight cats received antivenom; two cats received two vials while twenty-six cats received one vial. Antivenom reaction was suspected in one cat that developed facial swelling during administration of the drug. Average length of hospitalization was 1 day for cats without clinical signs and 3 days for cats with clinical signs. Twenty-nine cats survived to discharge. Due to the inclusion criteria of the study, cats euthanized on presentation or discharged without receiving antivenom may have been unintentionally excluded from the study. Diagnosis of eastern coral snake envenomation should be suspected in the cat that has acute onset of lower motor neuron neuropathy. Prognosis with treatment is considered good with 97% of cats surviving to discharge. Antivenom reaction occurred in 3.5% of administrations with none being fatal. Monitoring of hypercapnia was critical in making the decision to mechanically ventilate patients. Supportive care that includes antivenom administration, recumbency care, and mechanical ventilation if needed are the mainstays of therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Maxwell
- University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, 2089 Southwest 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States.
| | - Brittney Fraser
- University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, 2089 Southwest 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States.
| | - Michael Schaer
- University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, 2089 Southwest 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States.
| | - Ashley Allen
- University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, 2089 Southwest 16th Avenue, Gainesville, FL, 32608, United States.
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19
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Dashevsky D, Bénard-Valle M, Neri-Castro E, Youngman NJ, Zdenek CN, Alagón A, Portes-Junior JA, Frank N, Fry BG. Anticoagulant Micrurus venoms: Targets and neutralization. Toxicol Lett 2020; 337:91-97. [PMID: 33197555 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2020.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease with a massive global burden of injury and death. The best current treatments, antivenoms, are plagued by a number of logistical issues that limit supply and access in remote or poor regions. We explore the anticoagulant properties of venoms from the genus Micrurus (coral snakes), which have been largely unstudied, as well as the effectiveness of antivenom and a small-molecule phospholipase inhibitor-varespladib-at counteracting these effects. Our in vitro results suggest that these venoms likely interfere with the formation or function of the prothrombinase complex. We find that the anticoagulant potency varies widely across the genus and is especially pronounced in M. laticollaris. This variation does not appear to correspond to previously described patterns regarding the relative expression of the three-finger toxin and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) toxin families within the venoms of this genus. The coral snake antivenom Coralmyn, is largely unable to ameliorate these effects except for M. ibiboboca. Varespladib on the other hand completely abolished the anticoagulant activity of every venom. This is consistent with the growing body of results showing that varespladib may be an effective treatment for a wide range of toxicity caused by PLA2 toxins from many different snake species. Varespladib is a particularly attractive candidate to help alleviate the burden of snakebite because it is an approved drug that possesses several logistical advantages over antivenom including temperature stability and oral availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Dashevsky
- Toxin Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia; Australian National Insect Collection, Commonwealth Science and Industry Research Organization, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
| | - Melisa Bénard-Valle
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnologa, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico
| | - Edgar Neri-Castro
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnologa, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico
| | - Nicholas J Youngman
- Toxin Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Christina N Zdenek
- Toxin Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia
| | - Alejandro Alagón
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnologa, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico
| | - José A Portes-Junior
- Laboratório de Coleções Zoológicas, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo 05503-900, Brazil
| | | | - Bryan G Fry
- Toxin Evolution Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072 Australia.
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20
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Alangode A, Rajan K, Nair BG. Snake antivenom: Challenges and alternate approaches. Biochem Pharmacol 2020; 181:114135. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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21
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Bénard-Valle M, Neri-Castro E, Yañez-Mendoza MF, Lomonte B, Olvera A, Zamudio F, Restano-Cassulini R, Possani LD, Jiménez-Ferrer E, Alagón A. Functional, proteomic and transcriptomic characterization of the venom from Micrurus browni browni: Identification of the first lethal multimeric neurotoxin in coral snake venom. J Proteomics 2020; 225:103863. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Bolívar-Barbosa JA, Rodríguez-Vargas AL. Actividad neurotóxica del veneno de serpientes del género Micrurus y métodos para su análisis. Revisión de la literatura. REVISTA DE LA FACULTAD DE MEDICINA 2020. [DOI: 10.15446/revfacmed.v68n3.75992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Introducción. Las serpientes del género Micrurus son animales de hábitos fosoriales, de temperamento pasivo y escasa producción de un potente veneno con características neurotóxicas que bloquean la transmisión sináptica en la placa neuromuscular.Objetivo. Presentar un panorama general de la neurotoxicidad del veneno de las serpientes Micrurus y su caracterización funcional mediante métodos de análisis ex vivo.Materiales y métodos. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura en MedLine y ScienceDirect usando términos específicos y sus combinaciones. Estrategia de búsqueda: tipo de estudios: artículos sobre la neurotoxicidad del veneno de serpientes Micrurus y técnicas para determinar su actividad neurotóxica mediante modelos in vitro, in vivo y ex vivo; periodo de publicación: sin limite inicial a junio de 2018; idiomas: inglés y español.Resultados. De los 88 estudios identificados en la búsqueda inicial, se excluyeron 28 por no cumplir los criterios de inclusión (basándose en la lectura de títulos y resúmenes); además, se incluyeron 8 documentos adicionales (libros e informes), que, a criterio de los autores, complementaban la información reportada por las referencias seleccionadas. Los estudios incluidos en la revisión (n=68) correspondieron a las siguientes tipologías: investigaciones originales (n=44), artículos de revisión (n=16) y capítulos de libros, informes, guías y consultas en internet (n=8).Conclusiones. Los estudios que describen el uso de preparaciones ex vivo de músculo y nervio para evaluar el efecto de neurotoxinas ofrecen un buen modelo para la caracterización del efecto presináptico y postsináptico del veneno producido por las serpientes Micrurus.
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Fangs for the Memories? A Survey of Pain in Snakebite Patients Does Not Support a Strong Role for Defense in the Evolution of Snake Venom Composition. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12030201. [PMID: 32235759 PMCID: PMC7150919 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12030201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals use venoms for multiple purposes, most prominently for prey acquisition and self-defense. In snakes, venom composition often evolves as a result of selection for optimization for local diet. However, whether selection for a defensive function has also played a role in driving the evolution of venom composition has remained largely unstudied. Here, we use an online survey of snakebite victims to test a key prediction of a defensive function, that envenoming should result in the rapid onset of severe pain. From the analysis of 584 snakebite reports, involving 192 species of venomous snake, we find that the vast majority of bites do not result in severe early pain. Phylogenetic comparative analysis shows that where early pain after a bite evolves, it is often lost rapidly. Our results, therefore, do not support the hypothesis that natural selection for antipredator defense played an important role in the origin of venom or front-fanged delivery systems in general, although there may be intriguing exceptions to this rule.
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24
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Dos Santos RTF, Silva MFP, Porto RM, Lebrun I, Gonçalves LRDC, Batista IDFC, Sandoval MRL, Abdalla FMF. Effects of Mlx-8, a phospholipase A 2 from Brazilian coralsnake Micrurus lemniscatus venom, on muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in rat hippocampus. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2020; 26:e20190041. [PMID: 32063920 PMCID: PMC6986814 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2019-0041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Here, we described the presence of a neurotoxin with phospholipase
A2 activity isolated from Micrurus
lemniscatus venom (Mlx-8) with affinity for muscarinic
acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). Methods: The purification, molecular mass determination, partial amino acid
sequencing, phospholipase A2 activity determination, inhibition
of the binding of the selective muscarinic ligand [3H]QNB and
inhibition of the total [3H]inositol phosphate accumulation in
rat hippocampus of the Mlx-8 were determined. Results: Thirty-one fractions were collected from HPLC chromatography, and the Mlx-8
toxin was used in this work. The molecular mass of Mlx-8 is 13.628 Da. Edman
degradation yielded the following sequence:
NLYQFKNMIQCTNTRSWL-DFADYG-CYCGRGGSGT. The Mlx-8 had phospholipase
A2 enzymatic activity. The pKi values were
determined for Mlx-8 toxin and the M1 selective muscarinic
antagonist pirenzepine in hippocampus membranes via [3H]QNB
competition binding assays. The pKi values obtained from the
analysis of Mlx-8 and pirenzepine displacement curves were 7.32 ± 0.15, n =
4 and 5.84 ± 0.18, n = 4, respectively. These results indicate that Mlx-8
has affinity for mAChRs. There was no effect on the inhibition ability of
the [3H]QNB binding in hippocampus membranes when 1 µM Mlx-8 was
incubated with 200 µM DEDA, an inhibitor of phospholipase A2.
This suggests that the inhibition of the phospholipase A2
activity of the venom did not alter its ability to bind to displace
[3H]QNB binding. In addition, the Mlx-8 toxin caused a
blockade of 43.31 ± 8.86%, n = 3 and 97.42 ± 2.02%, n = 3 for 0.1 and 1 µM
Mlx-8, respectively, on the total [3H]inositol phosphate content
induced by 10 µM carbachol. This suggests that Mlx-8 inhibits the
intracellular signaling pathway linked to activation of mAChRs in
hippocampus. Conclusion: The results of the present work show, for the first time, that muscarinic
receptors are also affected by the Mlx-8 toxin, a muscarinic ligand with
phospholipase A2 characteristics, obtained from the venom of the
Elapidae snake Micrurus lemniscatus, since this toxin was
able to compete with muscarinic ligand [3H]QNB in hippocampus of
rats. In addition, Mlx-8 also blocked the accumulation of total
[3H]inositol phosphate induced by muscarinic agonist
carbachol. Thus, Mlx-8 may be a new pharmacological tool for examining
muscarinic cholinergic function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rafael Marques Porto
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Ivo Lebrun
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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25
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Foo CS, Jobichen C, Hassan-Puttaswamy V, Dekan Z, Tae HS, Bertrand D, Adams DJ, Alewood PF, Sivaraman J, Nirthanan S, Kini RM. Fulditoxin, representing a new class of dimeric snake toxins, defines novel pharmacology at nicotinic ACh receptors. Br J Pharmacol 2020; 177:1822-1840. [PMID: 31877243 DOI: 10.1111/bph.14954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Animal toxins have contributed significantly to our understanding of the neurobiology of receptors and ion channels. We studied the venom of the coral snake Micrurus fulvius fulvius and identified and characterized the structure and pharmacology of a new homodimeric neurotoxin, fulditoxin, that exhibited novel pharmacology at nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Fulditoxin was isolated by chromatography, chemically synthesized, its structure determined by X-ray crystallography, and its pharmacological actions on nAChRs characterized by organ bath assays and two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology. KEY RESULTS Fulditoxin's distinct 1.95-Å quaternary structure revealed two short-chain three-finger α-neurotoxins (α-3FNTxs) non-covalently bound by hydrophobic interactions and an ability to bind metal and form tetrameric complexes, not reported previously for three-finger proteins. Although fulditoxin lacked all conserved amino acids canonically important for inhibiting nAChRs, it produced postsynaptic neuromuscular blockade of chick muscle at nanomolar concentrations, comparable to the prototypical α-bungarotoxin. This neuromuscular blockade was completely reversible, which is unusual for snake α-3FNTxs. Fulditoxin, therefore, interacts with nAChRs by utilizing a different pharmacophore. Unlike short-chain α-3FNTxs that bind only to muscle nAChRs, fulditoxin utilizes dimerization to expand its pharmacological targets to include human neuronal α4β2, α7, and α3β2 nAChRs which it blocked with IC50 values of 1.8, 7, and 12 μM respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Based on its distinct quaternary structure and unusual pharmacology, we named this new class of dimeric Micrurus neurotoxins represented by fulditoxin as Σ-neurotoxins, which offers greater insight into understanding the interactions between nAChRs and peptide antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Shin Foo
- Protein Science Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chacko Jobichen
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Varuna Hassan-Puttaswamy
- Protein Science Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zoltan Dekan
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Han-Shen Tae
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - David J Adams
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Paul F Alewood
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - J Sivaraman
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Selvanayagam Nirthanan
- School of Medical Science, Griffith Health Group, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - R Manjunatha Kini
- Protein Science Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Rey-Suárez P, Saldarriaga-Córdoba M, Torres U, Marin-Villa M, Lomonte B, Núñez V. Novel three-finger toxins from Micrurus dumerilii and Micrurus mipartitus coral snake venoms: Phylogenetic relationships and characterization of Clarkitoxin-I-Mdum. Toxicon 2019; 170:85-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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27
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Lomonte B, Camacho E, Fernández J, Salas M, Zavaleta A. Three-finger toxins from the venom of Micrurus tschudii tschudii (desert coral snake): Isolation and characterization of tschuditoxin-I. Toxicon 2019; 167:144-151. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 06/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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de la Rosa G, Olvera F, Archundia IG, Lomonte B, Alagón A, Corzo G. Horse immunization with short-chain consensus α-neurotoxin generates antibodies against broad spectrum of elapid venomous species. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3642. [PMID: 31409779 PMCID: PMC6692343 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11639-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Antivenoms are fundamental in the therapy for snakebites. In elapid venoms, there are toxins, e.g. short-chain α-neurotoxins, which are quite abundant, highly toxic, and consequently play a major role in envenomation processes. The core problem is that such α-neurotoxins are weakly immunogenic, and many current elapid antivenoms show low reactivity towards them. We have previously developed a recombinant consensus short-chain α-neurotoxin (ScNtx) based on sequences from the most lethal elapid venoms from America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Here we report that an antivenom generated by immunizing horses with ScNtx can successfully neutralize the lethality of pure recombinant and native short-chain α-neurotoxins, as well as whole neurotoxic elapid venoms from diverse genera such as Micrurus, Dendroaspis, Naja, Walterinnesia, Ophiophagus and Hydrophis. These results provide a proof-of-principle for using recombinant proteins with rationally designed consensus sequences as universal immunogens for developing next-generation antivenoms with higher effectiveness and broader neutralizing capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo de la Rosa
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - UNAM, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca Morelos, 61500, Mexico.
- The Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S3E1, Canada.
| | - Felipe Olvera
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - UNAM, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca Morelos, 61500, Mexico
| | - Irving G Archundia
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - UNAM, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca Morelos, 61500, Mexico
| | - Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501, Costa Rica
| | - Alejandro Alagón
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - UNAM, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca Morelos, 61500, Mexico
| | - Gerardo Corzo
- Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - UNAM, Apartado Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca Morelos, 61500, Mexico.
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da Silva AM, da Fonseca WL, de Araujo Valente Neto E, Bisneto PF, Contreras-Bernal J, Sachett J, Monteiro WM, Bernarde PS. Envenomation by Micrurus annellatus bolivianus (Peters, 1871) coral snake in the western Brazilian Amazon. Toxicon 2019; 166:34-38. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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30
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Sanz L, de Freitas-Lima LN, Quesada-Bernat S, Graça-de-Souza VK, Soares AM, Calderón LDA, Calvete JJ, Caldeira CA. Comparative venomics of Brazilian coral snakes: Micrurus frontalis, Micrurus spixii spixii, and Micrurus surinamensis. Toxicon 2019; 166:39-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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31
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Albulescu LO, Kazandjian T, Slagboom J, Bruyneel B, Ainsworth S, Alsolaiss J, Wagstaff SC, Whiteley G, Harrison RA, Ulens C, Kool J, Casewell NR. A Decoy-Receptor Approach Using Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Mimics Reveals Their Potential as Novel Therapeutics Against Neurotoxic Snakebite. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:848. [PMID: 31417406 PMCID: PMC6683245 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease that causes 138,000 deaths each year. Neurotoxic snake venoms contain small neurotoxins, including three-finger toxins (3FTxs), which can cause rapid paralysis in snakebite victims by blocking postsynaptic transmission via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). These toxins are typically weakly immunogenic and thus are often not effectively targeted by current polyclonal antivenom therapies. We investigated whether nAChR mimics, also known as acetylcholine binding proteins (AChBPs), could effectively capture 3FTxs and therefore be developed as a novel class of snake-generic therapeutics for combatting neurotoxic envenoming. First, we identified the binding specificities of 3FTx from various medically important elapid snake venoms to nAChR using two recombinant nAChR mimics: the AChBP from Lymnaea stagnalis and a humanized neuronal α7 version (α7-AChBP). We next characterized these AChBP-bound and unbound fractions using SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry. Interestingly, both mimics effectively captured long-chain 3FTxs from multiple snake species but largely failed to capture the highly related short-chain 3FTxs, suggesting a high level of binding specificity. We next investigated whether nAChR mimics could be used as snakebite therapeutics. We showed that while α7-AChBP alone did not protect against Naja haje (Egyptian cobra) venom lethality in vivo, it significantly prolonged survival times when coadministered with a nonprotective dose of antivenom. Thus, nAChR mimics are capable of neutralizing specific venom toxins and may be useful adjunct therapeutics for improving the safety and affordability of existing snakebite treatments by reducing therapeutic doses. Our findings justify exploring the future development of AChBPs as potential snakebite treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura-Oana Albulescu
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Taline Kazandjian
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Julien Slagboom
- AIMMS Division of BioMolecular Analysis, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ben Bruyneel
- AIMMS Division of BioMolecular Analysis, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Stuart Ainsworth
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Jaffer Alsolaiss
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Simon C Wagstaff
- Bioinformatics Unit, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Gareth Whiteley
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Robert A Harrison
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom.,Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Ulens
- Laboratory of Structural Neurobiology, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Kool
- AIMMS Division of BioMolecular Analysis, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nicholas R Casewell
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom.,Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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Neurotoxicity of Micrurus lemniscatus lemniscatus (South American coralsnake) venom in vertebrate neuromuscular preparations in vitro and neutralization by antivenom. Arch Toxicol 2019; 93:2065-2086. [PMID: 31123802 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-019-02476-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the effect of South American coralsnake (Micrurus lemniscatus lemniscatus) venom on neurotransmission in vertebrate nerve-muscle preparations in vitro. The venom (0.1-30 µg/ml) showed calcium-dependent PLA2 activity and caused irreversible neuromuscular blockade in chick biventer cervicis (BC) and mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm (PND) preparations. In BC preparations, contractures to exogenous acetylcholine and carbachol (CCh), but not KCl, were abolished by venom concentrations ≥ 0.3 µg/ml; in PND preparations, the amplitude of the tetanic response was progressively attenuated, but with little tetanic fade. In low Ca2+ physiological solution, venom (10 µg/ml) caused neuromuscular blockade in PND preparations within ~ 10 min that was reversible by washing; the addition of Ca2+ immediately after the blockade temporarily restored the twitch responses, but did not prevent the progression to irreversible blockade. Venom (10 µg/ml) did not depolarize diaphragm muscle, prevent depolarization by CCh, or cause muscle contracture or histological damage. Venom (3 µg/ml) had a biphasic effect on the frequency of miniature end-plate potentials, but did not affect their amplitude; there was a progressive decrease in the amplitude of evoked end-plate potentials. The amplitude of compound action potentials in mouse sciatic nerve was unaffected by venom (10 µg/ml). Pre-incubation of venom with coralsnake antivenom (Instituto Butantan) at the recommended antivenom:venom ratio did not neutralize the neuromuscular blockade in PND preparations, but total neutralization was achieved with a tenfold greater volume of antivenom. The addition of antivenom after 50% and 80% blockade restored the twitch responses. These results show that M. lemniscatus lemniscatus venom causes potent, irreversible neuromuscular blockade, without myonecrosis. This blockade is apparently mediated by pre- and postsynaptic neurotoxins and can be reversed by coralsnake antivenom.
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New insights into the phylogeographic distribution of the 3FTx/PLA2 venom dichotomy across genus Micrurus in South America. J Proteomics 2019; 200:90-101. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2019.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Lippa E, Török F, Gómez A, Corrales G, Chacón D, Sasa M, Gutiérrez JM, Lomonte B, Fernández J. First look into the venom of Roatan Island's critically endangered coral snake Micrurus ruatanus: Proteomic characterization, toxicity, immunorecognition and neutralization by an antivenom. J Proteomics 2019; 198:177-185. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2019.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Paniagua D, Vergara I, Román R, Romero C, Benard-Valle M, Calderón A, Jiménez L, Bernas MJ, Witte MH, Boyer LV, Alagón A. Antivenom effect on lymphatic absorption and pharmacokinetics of coral snake venom using a large animal model. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2019; 57:727-734. [PMID: 30773936 DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2018.1550199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Context: Historically, administration and dosing of antivenom (AV) have been guided primarily by physician judgment because of incomplete understanding of the envenomation process. As demonstrated previously, lymphatic absorption plays a major role in the availability and pharmacokinetics (PK) of coral snake venom injected subcutaneously, which suggests that absorption from subcutaneous tissue is the limiting step for venom bioavailability, supporting the notion that the bite site is an ongoing venom depot. This feature may underlie the recurrence phenomena reported in viperid envenomation that appear to result from a mismatch between venom and AV PK. The role of lymphatic absorption in neutralization of venom by AV administered intravenously remains unclear. Methods: The effect of AV on systemic bioavailability and neutralization of Micrurus fulvius venom was assessed using a central lymph-cannulated sheep model. Venom was administered by subcutaneous injection in eight sheep, four with and four without thoracic duct cannulation and drainage. Two hours after venom injection, AV was administered intravenously. Venom and AV concentrations in serum and lymph were determined by ELISA assay from samples collected over a 6-h period and in tissues harvested post-mortem. Results: After AV injection, venom levels in serum fell immediately to undetectable with a subsequent increase in concentration attributable to non-toxic venom proteins. In lymph, AV became detectable 6 min after treatment; venom levels dropped concurrently but remained detectable 4 h later. Post-mortem samples from the venom injection site confirmed the presence of venom near the point of injection. Neither venom nor AV was detected at significant concentrations in major organs or contralateral skin. Conclusions: Intravenous AV immediately neutralizes venom in the bloodstream and can extravasate to neutralize venom absorbed by lymph but this neutralization seems to be slow and incomplete. Residual venom in the inoculation site demonstrates that this site functions as a depot where it is not neutralized by AV, which allows the venom to remain active with slow delivery to the bloodstream for ongoing systemic distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Paniagua
- a Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioprocesos , Instituto de Biotecnología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Cuernavaca , México
| | - I Vergara
- b Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Sciences School , Universidad de las Américas Puebla , Cholula , México
| | - R Román
- a Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioprocesos , Instituto de Biotecnología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Cuernavaca , México
| | - C Romero
- c Centro Universitario UAEM Amecameca, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México , Amecameca de Juarez , México
| | - M Benard-Valle
- a Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioprocesos , Instituto de Biotecnología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Cuernavaca , México
| | - A Calderón
- a Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioprocesos , Instituto de Biotecnología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Cuernavaca , México
| | - L Jiménez
- a Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioprocesos , Instituto de Biotecnología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Cuernavaca , México
| | - M J Bernas
- d Department of Medical Education , TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine , Fort Worth , TX , USA.,e Department of Surgery , University of Arizona , Tucson , AZ , USA
| | - M H Witte
- e Department of Surgery , University of Arizona , Tucson , AZ , USA
| | - L V Boyer
- f Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology, and Emergency Response (VIPER) Institute, University of Arizona , Tucson , AZ , USA
| | - A Alagón
- a Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioprocesos , Instituto de Biotecnología Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México , Cuernavaca , México
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Lewin MR, Gilliam LL, Gilliam J, Samuel SP, Bulfone TC, Bickler PE, Gutiérrez JM. Delayed LY333013 (Oral) and LY315920 (Intravenous) Reverse Severe Neurotoxicity and Rescue Juvenile Pigs from Lethal Doses of Micrurus fulvius (Eastern Coral Snake) Venom. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:E479. [PMID: 30453607 PMCID: PMC6265968 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10110479] [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: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE There is a clear, unmet need for effective, lightweight, shelf-stable and economical snakebite envenoming therapies that can be given rapidly after the time of a snake's bite and as adjuncts to antivenom therapies in the hospital setting. The sPLA2 inhibitor, LY315920, and its orally bioavailable prodrug, LY333013, demonstrate surprising efficacy and have the characteristics of an antidote with potential for both field and hospital use. METHODS The efficacy of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (LY315920) and its prodrug (LY333013) to treat experimental, lethal envenoming by Micrurus fulvius (Eastern coral snake) venom was tested using a porcine model. Inhibitors were administered by either intravenous or oral routes at different time intervals after venom injection. In some experiments, antivenom was also administered alone or in conjunction with LY333013. RESULTS 14 of 14 animals (100%) receiving either LY315920 (intravenous) and/or LY333013 (oral) survived to the 120 h endpoint despite, in some protocols, the presence of severe neurotoxic signs. The study drugs demonstrated the ability to treat, rescue, and re-rescue animals with advanced manifestations of envenoming. CONCLUSIONS Low molecular mass sPLA2 inhibitors were highly effective in preventing lethality following experimental envenoming by M. fulvius. These findings suggest the plausibility of a new therapeutic approach to snakebite envenoming, in this example, for the treatment of a coral snake species for which there are limitations in the availability of effective antivenom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Lewin
- Ophirex, Inc., Corte Madera, CA 94925, USA.
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA.
| | - Lyndi L Gilliam
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
| | - John Gilliam
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
| | - Stephen P Samuel
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA.
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4ET, UK.
| | - Tommaso C Bulfone
- Ophirex, Inc., Corte Madera, CA 94925, USA.
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA.
| | - Philip E Bickler
- Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
| | - José María Gutiérrez
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica.
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Olamendi-Portugal T, Batista CV, Pedraza-Escalona M, Restano-Cassulini R, Zamudio FZ, Benard-Valle M, de Roodt AR, Possani LD. New insights into the proteomic characterization of the coral snake Micrurus pyrrhocryptus venom. Toxicon 2018; 153:23-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/19/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Tan KY, Liew JL, Tan NH, Quah ESH, Ismail AK, Tan CH. Unlocking the secrets of banded coral snake (Calliophis intestinalis, Malaysia): A venom with proteome novelty, low toxicity and distinct antigenicity. J Proteomics 2018; 192:246-257. [PMID: 30243938 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2018.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The Asiatic coral snakes are basal in the phylogeny of coral snakes. Although envenoming by the Asiatic coral snakes is rarely fatal, little is known about their venom properties and variability from the American coral snakes. Integrating reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography and nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we showed that the venom proteome of the Malaysian banded or striped coral snake (Calliophis intestinalis) was composed of mainly phospholipases A2 (PLA2, 43.4%) and three-finger toxins (3FTx, 20.1%). Within 3FTx, the cytotoxins or cardiotoxins (CTX) dominated while the neurotoxins' content was much lower. Its subproteomic details contrasted with the 3FTx profile of most Micrurus sp., illustrating a unique dichotomy of venom phenotype between the Old and the New World coral snakes. Calliophis intestinalis venom proteome was correlated with measured enzymatic activities, and in vivo it was myotoxic but non-lethal to mice, frogs and geckos at high doses (5-10 μg/g). The venom contains species-specific toxins with distinct sequences and antigenicity, and the antibodies raised against PLA2 and CTX of other elapids showed poor binding toward its venom antigens. The unique venom proteome of C. intestinalis unveiled a repertoire of novel toxins, and the toxicity test supported the need for post-bite monitoring of myotoxic complication. SIGNIFICANCE: Malaysian banded or striped coral snake (Calliophis intestinalis) has a cytotoxin (CTX)-predominating venom proteome, a characteristic shared by its congener, the Malayan blue coral snake (Calliophis bivirgata). With little neurotoxins (NTX), it illustrates a CTX/NTX dichotomy of venom phenotype between the Old World and the New World coral snakes. The low toxicity of the venom imply that C. intestinalis bite envenoming can be managed via symptomatic relief of the mild to moderate pain with appropriate analgesia. Systemically, the serum creatine kinase level of patients should be monitored serially for potential complication of myotoxicity. The distinct antigenicity of the venom proteins implies that the empirical use of heterologous antivenom is mostly inappropriate and not recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kae Yi Tan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Jia Lee Liew
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Nget Hong Tan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Evan S H Quah
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
| | - Ahmad Khaldun Ismail
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
| | - Choo Hock Tan
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
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Guerrero-Garzón JF, Bénard-Valle M, Restano-Cassulini R, Zamudio F, Corzo G, Alagón A, Olvera-Rodríguez A. Cloning and sequencing of three-finger toxins from the venom glands of four Micrurus species from Mexico and heterologous expression of an alpha-neurotoxin from Micrurus diastema. Biochimie 2018; 147:114-121. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2018.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Yang DC, Dobson J, Cochran C, Dashevsky D, Arbuckle K, Benard M, Boyer L, Alagón A, Hendrikx I, Hodgson WC, Fry BG. The Bold and the Beautiful: a Neurotoxicity Comparison of New World Coral Snakes in the Micruroides and Micrurus Genera and Relative Neutralization by Antivenom. Neurotox Res 2017; 32:487-495. [DOI: 10.1007/s12640-017-9771-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Dutertre S, Nicke A, Tsetlin VI. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibitors derived from snake and snail venoms. Neuropharmacology 2017. [PMID: 28623170 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) represents the prototype of ligand-gated ion channels. It is vital for neuromuscular transmission and an important regulator of neurotransmission. A variety of toxic compounds derived from diverse species target this receptor and have been of elemental importance in basic and applied research. They enabled milestone discoveries in pharmacology and biochemistry ranging from the original formulation of the receptor concept, the first isolation and structural analysis of a receptor protein (the nAChR) to the identification, localization, and differentiation of its diverse subtypes and their validation as a target for therapeutic intervention. Among the venom-derived compounds, α-neurotoxins and α-conotoxins provide the largest families and still represent indispensable pharmacological tools. Application of modified α-neurotoxins provided substantial structural and functional details of the nAChR long before high resolution structures were available. α-bungarotoxin represents not only a standard pharmacological tool and label in nAChR research but also for unrelated proteins tagged with a minimal α-bungarotoxin binding motif. A major advantage of α-conotoxins is their smaller size, as well as superior selectivity for diverse nAChR subtypes that allows their development into ligands with optimized pharmacological and chemical properties and potentially novel drugs. In the following, these two groups of nAChR antagonists will be described focusing on their respective roles in the structural and functional characterization of nAChRs and their development into research tools. In addition, we provide a comparative overview of the diverse α-conotoxin selectivities that can serve as a practical guide for both structure activity studies and subtype classification. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Venom-derived Peptides as Pharmacological Tools.'
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Dutertre
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, UMR 5247, Université Montpellier - CNRS, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Annette Nicke
- Walther Straub Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Nußbaumstr. 26, 80336 Munich, Germany.
| | - Victor I Tsetlin
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str.16/10, Moscow 117999, Russian Federation
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Aird SD, da Silva NJ, Qiu L, Villar-Briones A, Saddi VA, Pires de Campos Telles M, Grau ML, Mikheyev AS. Coralsnake Venomics: Analyses of Venom Gland Transcriptomes and Proteomes of Six Brazilian Taxa. Toxins (Basel) 2017; 9:E187. [PMID: 28594382 PMCID: PMC5488037 DOI: 10.3390/toxins9060187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Venom gland transcriptomes and proteomes of six Micrurus taxa (M. corallinus, M. lemniscatus carvalhoi, M. lemniscatus lemniscatus, M. paraensis, M. spixii spixii, and M. surinamensis) were investigated, providing the most comprehensive, quantitative data on Micrurus venom composition to date, and more than tripling the number of Micrurus venom protein sequences previously available. The six venomes differ dramatically. All are dominated by 2-6 toxin classes that account for 91-99% of the toxin transcripts. The M. s. spixii venome is compositionally the simplest. In it, three-finger toxins (3FTxs) and phospholipases A₂ (PLA₂s) comprise >99% of the toxin transcripts, which include only four additional toxin families at levels ≥0.1%. Micrurus l. lemniscatus venom is the most complex, with at least 17 toxin families. However, in each venome, multiple structural subclasses of 3FTXs and PLA₂s are present. These almost certainly differ in pharmacology as well. All venoms also contain phospholipase B and vascular endothelial growth factors. Minor components (0.1-2.0%) are found in all venoms except that of M. s. spixii. Other toxin families are present in all six venoms at trace levels (<0.005%). Minor and trace venom components differ in each venom. Numerous novel toxin chemistries include 3FTxs with previously unknown 8- and 10-cysteine arrangements, resulting in new 3D structures and target specificities. 9-cysteine toxins raise the possibility of covalent, homodimeric 3FTxs or heterodimeric toxins with unknown pharmacologies. Probable muscarinic sequences may be reptile-specific homologs that promote hypotension via vascular mAChRs. The first complete sequences are presented for 3FTxs putatively responsible for liberating glutamate from rat brain synaptosomes. Micrurus C-type lectin-like proteins may have 6-9 cysteine residues and may be monomers, or homo- or heterodimers of unknown pharmacology. Novel KSPIs, 3× longer than any seen previously, appear to have arisen in three species by gene duplication and fusion. Four species have transcripts homologous to the nociceptive toxin, (MitTx) α-subunit, but all six species had homologs to the β-subunit. The first non-neurotoxic, non-catalytic elapid phospholipase A₂s are reported. All are probably myonecrotic. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the six taxa diverged 15-35 million years ago and that they split from their last common ancestor with Old World elapines nearly 55 million years ago. Given their early diversification, many cryptic micrurine taxa are anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Aird
- Division of Faculty Affairs, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan.
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan.
| | - Nelson Jorge da Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás 74605-140, Brazil.
| | - Lijun Qiu
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan.
| | - Alejandro Villar-Briones
- Research Support Division, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan.
| | - Vera Aparecida Saddi
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás 74605-140, Brazil.
- Laboratório de Oncogenética e Radiobiologia da Associação de Combate ao Câncer em Goiás, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Rua 239 no. 52-Setor Universitário, Goiânia, Goiás 74065-070, Brazil.
| | - Mariana Pires de Campos Telles
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais e Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás 74605-140, Brazil.
- Laboratório de Genética & Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás 74690-900, Brazil.
| | - Miguel L Grau
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan.
| | - Alexander S Mikheyev
- Ecology and Evolution Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa-ken 904-0495, Japan.
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Oliveira FDR, Noronha MDDN, Lozano JLL. Biological and molecular properties of yellow venom of the Amazonian coral snake Micrurus surinamensis. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2017; 50:365-373. [DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0408-2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Laustsen AH, Engmark M, Clouser C, Timberlake S, Vigneault F, Gutiérrez JM, Lomonte B. Exploration of immunoglobulin transcriptomes from mice immunized with three-finger toxins and phospholipases A 2 from the Central American coral snake, Micrurus nigrocinctus. PeerJ 2017; 5:e2924. [PMID: 28149694 PMCID: PMC5267563 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Snakebite envenomings represent a neglected public health issue in many parts of the rural tropical world. Animal-derived antivenoms have existed for more than a hundred years and are effective in neutralizing snake venom toxins when timely administered. However, the low immunogenicity of many small but potent snake venom toxins represents a challenge for obtaining a balanced immune response against the medically relevant components of the venom. Here, we employ high-throughput sequencing of the immunoglobulin (Ig) transcriptome of mice immunized with a three-finger toxin and a phospholipase A2 from the venom of the Central American coral snake, Micrurus nigrocinctus. Although exploratory in nature, our indicate results showed that only low frequencies of mRNA encoding IgG isotypes, the most relevant isotype for therapeutic purposes, were present in splenocytes of five mice immunized with 6 doses of the two types of toxins over 90 days. Furthermore, analysis of Ig heavy chain transcripts showed that no particular combination of variable (V) and joining (J) gene segments had been selected in the immunization process, as would be expected after a strong humoral immune response to a single antigen. Combined with the titration of toxin-specific antibodies in the sera of immunized mice, these data support the low immunogenicity of three-finger toxins and phospholipases A2found in M. nigrocinctusvenoms, and highlight the need for future studies analyzing the complexity of antibody responses to toxins at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas H Laustsen
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark , Kgs. Lyngby , Denmark
| | - Mikael Engmark
- Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark; Department of Bio and Health Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Christopher Clouser
- Juno Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, United States of America; AbVitro, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | | | - Francois Vigneault
- Juno Therapeutics, Seattle, WA, United States of America; AbVitro, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | | | - Bruno Lomonte
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Universidad de Costa Rica , San José , Costa Rica
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Lomonte B, Rey-Suárez P, Fernández J, Sasa M, Pla D, Vargas N, Bénard-Valle M, Sanz L, Corrêa-Netto C, Núñez V, Alape-Girón A, Alagón A, Gutiérrez JM, Calvete JJ. Venoms of Micrurus coral snakes: Evolutionary trends in compositional patterns emerging from proteomic analyses. Toxicon 2016; 122:7-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Revised: 09/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Parker-Cote JL, O'Rourke DP, Brewer KL, Lertpiriyapong K, Punja M, Bush SP, Miller SN, Meggs WJ. Efficacy of Trypsin in Treating Coral Snake Envenomation in the Porcine Model. J Med Toxicol 2016; 11:430-2. [PMID: 25952763 DOI: 10.1007/s13181-015-0468-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Antivenom is the definitive treatment for venomous snakebites. Alternative treatments warrant investigation because antivenom is sometimes unavailable, expensive, and can have deleterious side effects. This study assesses the efficacy of trypsin to treat coral snake envenomation in an in vivo porcine model. A randomized, blinded study was conducted. Subjects were 13 pigs injected subcutaneously with 1 mL of eastern coral snake venom (10 mg/mL) in the right distal hind limb. After 1 min, subjects were randomized to have the envenomation site injected with either 1 mL of saline or 1 mL of trypsin (100 mg/mL) by a blinded investigator. Clinical endpoint was survival for 72 h or respiratory depression defined as respiratory rate <15 breaths per minute, falling pulse oximetry, or agonal respirations. Fisher's exact t test was used for between group comparisons. Average time to toxicity for the saline control was 263 min (191-305 min). The development of respiratory depression occurred more frequently in control pigs than treated pigs (p = 0.009). Four of the six pigs that received trypsin survived to the end of the 3-day study. No control pigs survived. Two of the trypsin treatment pigs died with times to toxicity of 718 and 971 min. Survival to 12 and 24 h was significantly greater in the trypsin treatment group (p = 0.002, p = 0.009, respectively). Local injection of trypsin, a proteolytic enzyme, at the site of envenomation decreased the toxicity of eastern coral snake venom and increased survival significantly. Further investigation is required before these results can be extended to human snakebites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Parker-Cote
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, 600 Moye Boulevard, Room 3ED311, Greenville, NC, 27834, USA
| | - Dorcas P O'Rourke
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - Kori L Brewer
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, 600 Moye Boulevard, Room 3ED311, Greenville, NC, 27834, USA
| | - Kvin Lertpiriyapong
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - Mohan Punja
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, 600 Moye Boulevard, Room 3ED311, Greenville, NC, 27834, USA
| | - Sean P Bush
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, 600 Moye Boulevard, Room 3ED311, Greenville, NC, 27834, USA
| | - Susan N Miller
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, 600 Moye Boulevard, Room 3ED311, Greenville, NC, 27834, USA
| | - William J Meggs
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, 600 Moye Boulevard, Room 3ED311, Greenville, NC, 27834, USA.
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Venomic Analysis of the Poorly Studied Desert Coral Snake, Micrurus tschudii tschudii, Supports the 3FTx/PLA₂ Dichotomy across Micrurus Venoms. Toxins (Basel) 2016; 8:toxins8060178. [PMID: 27338473 PMCID: PMC4926144 DOI: 10.3390/toxins8060178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The venom proteome of the poorly studied desert coral snake Micrurus tschudii tschudii was unveiled using a venomic approach, which identified ≥38 proteins belonging to only four snake venom protein families. The three-finger toxins (3FTxs) constitute, both in number of isoforms (~30) and total abundance (93.6% of the venom proteome), the major protein family of the desert coral snake venom. Phospholipases A2 (PLA2s; seven isoforms, 4.1% of the venom proteome), 1–3 Kunitz-type proteins (1.6%), and 1–2 l-amino acid oxidases (LAO, 0.7%) complete the toxin arsenal of M. t. tschudii. Our results add to the growing evidence that the occurrence of two divergent venom phenotypes, i.e., 3FTx- and PLA2-predominant venom proteomes, may constitute a general trend across the cladogenesis of Micrurus. The occurrence of a similar pattern of venom phenotypic variability among true sea snake (Hydrophiinae) venoms suggests that the 3FTx/PLA2 dichotomy may be widely distributed among Elapidae venoms.
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Venom of the Coral Snake Micrurus clarki: Proteomic Profile, Toxicity, Immunological Cross-Neutralization, and Characterization of a Three-Finger Toxin. Toxins (Basel) 2016; 8:toxins8050138. [PMID: 27164141 PMCID: PMC4885053 DOI: 10.3390/toxins8050138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2016] [Revised: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Micrurus clarki is an uncommon coral snake distributed from the Southeastern Pacific of Costa Rica to Western Colombia, for which no information on its venom could be found in the literature. Using a ‘venomics’ approach, proteins of at least nine families were identified, with a moderate predominance of three-finger toxins (3FTx; 48.2%) over phospholipase A2 (PLA2; 36.5%). Comparison of this venom profile with those of other Micrurus species suggests that it may represent a more balanced, ‘intermediate’ type within the dichotomy between 3FTx- and PLA2-predominant venoms. M. clarki venom was strongly cross-recognized and, accordingly, efficiently neutralized by an equine therapeutic antivenom against M. nigrocinctus, revealing their high antigenic similarity. Lethal activity for mice could be reproduced by a PLA2 venom fraction, but, unexpectedly, not by fractions corresponding to 3FTxs. The most abundant venom component, hereby named clarkitoxin-I, was identified as a short-chain (type I) 3FTx, devoid of lethal effect in mice, whose target remains to be defined. Its amino acid sequence of 66 residues shows high similarity with predicted sequences of venom gland transcripts described for M. fulvius, M. browni, and M. diastema.
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Biodistribution and Lymphatic Tracking of the Main Neurotoxin of Micrurus fulvius Venom by Molecular Imaging. Toxins (Basel) 2016; 8:85. [PMID: 27023607 PMCID: PMC4848612 DOI: 10.3390/toxins8040085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Revised: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The venom of the Eastern coral snake Micrurus fulvius can cause respiratory paralysis in the bitten patient, which is attributable to β-neurotoxins (β-NTx). The aim of this work was to study the biodistribution and lymphatic tracking by molecular imaging of the main β-NTx of M. fulvius venom. β-NTx was bioconjugated with the chelator diethylenetriaminepenta-acetic acid (DTPA) and radiolabeled with the radionuclide Gallium-67. Radiolabeling efficiency was 60%–78%; radiochemical purity ≥92%; and stability at 48 h ≥ 85%. The median lethal dose (LD50) and PLA2 activity of bioconjugated β-NTx decreased 3 and 2.5 times, respectively, in comparison with native β-NTx. The immune recognition by polyclonal antibodies decreased 10 times. Biodistribution of β-NTx-DTPA-67Ga in rats showed increased uptake in popliteal, lumbar nodes and kidneys that was not observed with 67Ga-free. Accumulation in organs at 24 h was less than 1%, except for kidneys, where the average was 3.7%. The inoculation site works as a depot, since 10% of the initial dose of β-NTx-DTPA-67Ga remains there for up to 48 h. This work clearly demonstrates the lymphatic system participation in the biodistribution of β-NTx-DTPA-67Ga. Our approach could be applied to analyze the role of the lymphatic system in snakebite for a better understanding of envenoming.
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