Toxicity Of Venoms From Snakes Of Sanitary Importance In Mexico. 

¹de Roodt, A.R.; ²Estévez, J.; ³Paniagua-Solís, J.F.; ¹Dolab, J.A.; ⁴Varela-Juliá, M.; ¹Litwin, S.; ⁴García, W; ⁵Alagón, A.

1 I.N.P.B.–A.N.L.I.S. “Dr. C.G. Malbrán”, Bs. As., Argentina. 2 Instituto Bioclon, México DF, México. 3 Laboratorios Silanes, México DF, México. 4 Serpentario La Nauyaca, Cuernavaca, México. 5 Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, México.

The characterization of the toxic activities of snake venoms is necessary tool to understand the physiopatology of the envenomation and to test the potency of the antivenoms used to treat this pathology. In spite of the lack of data on toxic activities from Mexican snakes of sanitary importance, we studied venoms from Bothropsasper, Athropoidesnummifer, Agkistrodonbilineatus, Crotalusdurissus durissus, Crotalusbasiliscus, Crotalusscutulatus, Crotalus atrox and Micrurusnigrocinctus. The studies performed were: SDS-PAGE, determination of lethal potency, hemorrhagic, necrotizing, coagulant on plasma, phospholipasic and fibri(noge)nolytic activity. In addition it was studied the neutralizing capacity on the toxic activities conferred by an antivenom used currently for the treatment of snakebites in Mexico. The venom from viperids showed important hemorrhagic, necrotizing, coagulant on plasma, prothrombinic, fibrinogenolytic and phosplolipase activities. The venoms with the highest lethal potency were M. nigrocinctus and C. scutulatus followed by the venoms of C. atrox and B. asper. However the venom that globally displayed the most potent toxic activities was B. asper venom. All the venoms showed toxic activities of similar range to that described for other American Viperine snakes. The activity on plasma or fibrinogen was very different but all the venoms showed capacity to act on the haemostatic system. The antivenom tested was able to neutralize the lethal potency of the venom but was effective in the neutralization of other toxic activities.