THE IMMUNOCHEMICAL REACTIVITY AND NEUTRALIZING CAPACITY OF POLYVALENT Vipera (EUROPEAN) ANTIVENOM ON ENZYMATIC AND TOXIC ACTIVITIES IN THE VENOMS OF CROTALIDS FROM ARGENTINA

A. R. de ROODT(1), J. A. DOLAB(1), L. SEGRE(1), C. SIMONCINI(3), S. E. HAJOS(2), T. FERNANDEZ(2), J. C. DOKMETJIAN(1), S. LITWIN(1), C. ACCATTOLI(1), J. C. VIDAL(3)

(1)Instituto Nacional de Producción de Biológicos ANLIS “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán”, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 563, 1281-Buenos Aires, Argentina, (2)Cátedra de Inmunología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, University of Buenos Aires, (3)Area de Iologia, Museo de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia,” (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.

ABSTRACT: The immunochemical reactivity and neutralizing capacity of polyvalent Vipera antivenom (Vipera ammodytes, Vipera aspis, Vipera berus, Vipera lebetina, and Vipera xanthina) were tested on the enzymatic and biological activities of Crotalus durissus terrificus and the following Bothrops venoms from Argentina (Bothrops alternatus, Bothrops ammodytoides, Bothrops neuwiedi, Bothrops jararaca, Bothrops jararacussu, and Bothrops moojeni). The Vipera antivenom reacted weakly when tested by double immunoprecipitation (DIP) and reacted with all the venoms when tested by ELISA. Several components in all the venoms studied were recognized in Western blots. Vipera antivenom deactivated to different degrees in vitro procoagulant, (indirect) hemolytic, and proteolytic activities in all the venoms studied. Preincubation of Bothrops alternatus venom with Vipera antivenom neutralized a lethal potency of 4.5 LD50 in mice with an ED50 of 1.25 ± 0.25 µl per µg of venom, and with 1.0 µl/µg inhibited 54% of the hemorragic activity and 48% of necrotic activity. Vipera antivenom (2.0 µl per µg toxin) inhibited the phospholipase A2 activity of purified crotoxin and decreased its lethal potency by 60%, while the neutralizing capacity on the lethal potency of crude Crotalus durissus terrificus venom was poor even at a level of 5.0 µl/ µg of venom.

KEY WORDS: antivenom, Vipera, Bothrops, Crotalus, cross-reactivity, cross-neutralization.

CORRESPONDENCE TO:

J. C. VIDAL – Area de Iologia, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Av. Angel Gallardo, 470 1405, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Phone/Fax: 54 1 303 2492