Full text
| |
| Author(s): |
Lidia Jorge Tasima
Total Authors: 1
|
| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB/SDI) |
| Defense date: | 2021-08-10 |
| Examining board members: |
Anita Mitico Tanaka Azevedo;
Andrea Balan Fernandes;
Denise Selivon Scheepmaker;
Alexandre Keiji Tashima
|
| Advisor: | Anita Mitico Tanaka Azevedo |
| Abstract | |
Snake venoms show considerable heterogeneity and ontogenetic changes in venom composition have already been observed in different species of snakes within the Viperidae family. Since the venom of young and adults cause distinct pathological effects, and with that the serum may be less effective in neutralizing envenoming by young snakes compared to adults, it is of paramount importance to understand the ontogenetic variation of snake venom. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze and compare the venom of B. pauloensis snakes, searching for possible influences of ontogeny and sex in their biochemical and biological aspects. The venom of younger individuals was more complex in relation to high weight proteins, with a greater abundance of metalloproteinases, while adults showed a greater abundance of medium and low weight proteins, such as phospholipases A2 (PLA2), C-type lectins and serine proteases. The antibothropic serum showed better immunorecognition with the venom of adult snakes than younger ones, in addition to a deficiency in the recognition of medium molecular weight proteins, suggesting a need for an improvement in the antibothropic serum. Younger snakes showed higher coagulant, caseinolytic and hemorrhagic activity, while adult snakes showed higher L-amino acid oxidase (LAAO) activity and acted faster in lethality. Differences between males and females were observed mainly in the rate of loss of coagulant activity, change in PLA2 activity and lethality action time. Furthermore, considering only the adult groups, males showed a higher LAAO and thrombin-like activity, while females showed a higher caseinolytic and hyaluronidase activity. With the results obtained in this work, it was possible to conclude that there is an ontogenetic variation in the composition and some activities of the B. pauloensis snake venom, in addition to possible differences between the venom of males and females, reinforcing that there is an intraspecific variation that may result in different symptoms in their envenoming and, consequently, differences in the response to treatment with the antivenom. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 18/25899-0 - Analysis of the ontogenetic variability of the snake venom Bothrops pauloensis |
| Grantee: | Lidia Jorge Tasima |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |