Abstract
India is a habitat for nearly one thousand four hundred forty-seven species of spiders under three hundred and sixty-five genera and sixty families. Our initial survey on toxic bite by spider revealed severe edema, itching, acute pain, and hemorrhage following tissue necrosis, which are the general symptoms of envenomation, but there are no reports of mortality. Significantly,Hippasa partitaspider, commonly called “funnel web spider,” which is endemic in hilly regions of the Western Ghats is responsible for envenomation. In this study, a nonenzymatic neurotoxin has been purified fromH. partitavenom gland extract. Gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography were used to purify the toxin into homogeneity as shown by SDS-PAGE, RP-HPLC, and MALDI-TOF. Neurotoxin is devoid of enzymatic activities but causes intense neurotoxic symptoms. Neurotoxin is found to inhibit the twitch response of sciatic nerve gastrocnemius muscle preparation and is found to be postsynaptic in action. Neurotoxin is devoid of coagulant activity, edema, and hemorrhage and is nonlethal to mice (up to 5 mg/kg body weight). In conclusion, a neurotoxin, which is a principle agent in whole venom responsible for induced neurotoxic symptoms, has been purified and characterized.
Highlights
Spider venoms are a mixture of pharmacologically active proteins and polypeptides that have led to the development of molecular probes and therapeutic agents
H. partita spider is endemic in hilly regions of the Western Ghats [4] and is commonly called “funnel web spider” which is mainly responsible for toxic bites
Acute pain, and hemorrhage following tissue necrosis are the general symptoms of envenomation, but there are no reports of mortality
Summary
Spider venoms are a mixture of pharmacologically active proteins and polypeptides that have led to the development of molecular probes and therapeutic agents. Spider venoms exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities that results in both local [1, 2] and systemic toxicities [3]. The main purpose of the venom is to immobilize and to digest the prey. H. partita spider is endemic in hilly regions of the Western Ghats [4] and is commonly called “funnel web spider” which is mainly responsible for toxic bites. Acute pain, and hemorrhage following tissue necrosis are the general symptoms of envenomation, but there are no reports of mortality. Spider bites are often treated with folk medicine. Less attention is paid towards documentation, and no documentation is available in hospitals on clinical pathology
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