Isolation and characterization of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from the venom of adult and senile snakes of the species Crotalus durissus.

• Grant number: 24/06732-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Anita Mitico Tanaka-Azevedo
• Grantee: Igor Castellar Sorrila
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Accidents by venomous snakes results in more than 20,000 reported cases per year in the country (Ministério da Saúde, 2021), and although snakes of the genus Crotalus are not the most responsible for snakebites in Brazil, they have a venom with a low protein complexity, causing a high mortality rate, close to 0.8% (Ministério da Saúde, 2021). The toxins in rattlesnake venom cause a great impact on the body's physiological processes, affecting mainly by neurotoxic and myotoxic effects, resulting from the high concentration of crotoxin, a heterodimeric molecule of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), which constitutes 70 to 90% of the composition of the rattlesnake. venom of Crotalus durissus (Boldrini-França, 2010).Concomitant with this, aging induces metabolic changes in several organisms, including snakes. However, there is a paucity of research examining these changes, especially investigating differences in the composition and effectiveness of snake venom. Therefore, the objective of this study is to elucidate disparities in the venom of adult and senile Crotalus, highlighting potential distinctions in the composition of the venom and the consequences caused by snakebites. For this, the study will use the venom of Crotalus durissus collilineatus (Cdc), Crotalus durissus cascavella (Cdv) and Crotalus durissus terrificus (Cdt) of different ages, isolating phospholipase A2 and looking for the characterization and comparison against the trained groups.