THE MAIN MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF RATTLESNAKEVENOM

DANIELA D.O. TOYAMA(1)

(1)Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie-UPM

Crotalus durisusus ssp and is the most important snake found in the South America and from its venom it has been isolated and characterized the presence of several fraction such as crotacetin, L-amino acid oxidase, thrombin like, PLA2, crotapotins, convulxin and crotamine.   We observed that whole venom of some Brazilian rattlesnakes such Crotalus durissus terrificus or Crotalus durissus cascavella display several kind of morphological modification on the bacterial cell or massive ultra structural alteration of cell cytoplasm, which are the resulting of actions of several fraction that found in this venom.  The effect induced by some this fraction solely induces membrane destruction as in case of PLA2, although our results support that catalytic activity is the main rout for membrane destruction.  Whereas in case of lectins we observed that in some cases that this protein induced the membrane vesiculation and bacterial aggregation without specific membrane destruction in case of C-type lectin isolated from the Bothrops.  In this context there is other fraction and their effect on the bacterial growth rate that will discuss in this presentation.

KEY WORDS: PLA2, L-amino acid oxidase, rattlesnake, antibacterial.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT: FAPESP, CNPq.