Abstract
Background: Naja atra is a venomous snake species medically relevant in China. In the current study, we evaluated the composition and toxicological profile of venom collected from farm-raised N. atra.Methods: Venom was collected from third-generation captive bred N. atra on a snake farm in Hunan Province, China. The venom was analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and nano-liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, hemolytic activity, median lethal dose, serum biochemical and histopathological parameters were accessed.Results: N. atra venom proteome was dominated by phospholipase A2 (46.5%) and three-finger toxins (41.4 %), and a set of common low relative abundance proteins, including cysteine-rich secretory proteins (4.7%), NGF-beta (2.4%), snake venom metalloproteinase (1.5%), glutathione peroxidase (0.6%), vespryn (0.3%), and 5ʹ-nucleotidases (0.2%) were also found. Furthermore, the venom exhibited direct hemolytic activity, neurotoxicity, myotoxicity, and high lethal potency in mice, with a subcutaneous median lethal dose of 1.02 mg/kg. Histopathological analysis and serum biochemical tests revealed that venom caused acute hepatic, pulmonary and renal injury in mice.Conclusion: This study revealed the composition and toxicity of venom collected from farm-raised N. atra, thereby providing a reference for the analysis of venom samples collected from captive-born venomous snakes in the future.
Highlights
Naja atra is a venomous snake species medically relevant in China
Characterization of N. atra venom proteome Figure 1A illustrates the protein components in venom based on 15% SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions
Histological alterations were noted in the lung tissues of experimental mice, including hyperplasia of peripheral lymphoid tissues and perivascular edema, alveolar fusion, thickening and rupture of alveolar walls, and pulmonary interstitial edema
Summary
Naja atra is a venomous snake species medically relevant in China. Chinese cobra (Naja atra), ranked as one of the top ten venomous snakes in the country, is considered one of the most medically important snake species [1]. N. atra belongs to the Elapidae family, whose members contain venom that induces neurotoxic, hemolytic, proteolytic, hemorrhagic, and necrotizing activities in experimental models [1–3]. Several novel proteins with important biological activities have been characterized and isolated from this venom. Α-elapitoxin-Na1a, a novel short-chain postsynaptic neurotoxin, was isolated from N. atra venom and exhibits relatively strong binding activity with the skeletal muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) [5]. Atrase B, a novel metalloproteinase isolated from N. atra venom, may be a potential adjuvant therapeutic drug with application in xenotransplantation owing to the dual anti-complement and anti-coagulation activities [6]
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