First Look at the Venom of Naja ashei

Hus, Konrad K.; Buczkowicz, Justyna; Petrílla, Vladimir; Petrillová, Monika; Lyskowski, Andrzej Franciszek; Legáth, Jaroslav; Bocian, Aleksandra

doi:10.3390/molecules23030609

Cited by 34 publications

(49 citation statements)

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“…According to the latest data concerning Naja ashei, its venom is composed mostly of 3FTxs (69%) and PLA 2 s (27%). However, there are also small amounts of SVMPs (2.1%), VNGF (1%), CRISPs (0.7%), CVF (0.12%), and 5 -nucleotidases (0.014%) [19]. After fractionation, we were able to discover other groups of low abundant proteins that were previously described in other snake species, for example, L-amino acid oxidases or snake venom serine proteases (SVSPs) ( Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…However, the group that was widely described in terms of its antibacterial properties is LAAOs. Interestingly, this group of proteins was not detected during our previous analysis of the Naja ashei venom proteome [19]. This may indicate that the share of this group in the whole venom is negligible, but fractionation caused a significant reduction of the sample complexity, thus allowing for the identification of low abundant proteins.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

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Antimicrobial Activity of Protein Fraction from Naja ashei Venom against Staphylococcus epidermidis

et al. 2020

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One of the key problems of modern infectious disease medicine is the growing number of drug-resistant and multi-drug-resistant bacterial strains. For this reason, many studies are devoted to the search for highly active antimicrobial substances that could be used in therapy against bacterial infections. As it turns out, snake venoms are a rich source of proteins that exert a strong antibacterial effect, and therefore they have become an interesting research material. We analyzed Naja ashei venom for such antibacterial properties, and we found that a specific composition of proteins can act to eliminate individual bacterial cells, as well as the entire biofilm of Staphylococcus epidermidis. In general, we used ion exchange chromatography (IEX) to obtain 10 protein fractions with different levels of complexity, which were then tested against certified and clinical strains of S. epidermidis. One of the fractions (F2) showed exceptional antimicrobial effects both alone and in combination with antibiotics. The protein composition of the obtained fractions was determined using mass spectrometry techniques, indicating a high proportion of phospholipases A2, three-finger toxins, and L-amino acids oxidases in F2 fraction, which are most likely responsible for the unique properties of this fraction. Moreover, we were able to identify a new group of low abundant proteins containing the Ig-like domain that have not been previously described in snake venoms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Antimicrobial Activity of Protein Fraction from Naja ashei Venom against Staphylococcus epidermidis

et al. 2020

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“…In the 2-D Quant Kit method, copper ions attach to the peptide bonds in the protein, so this method is independent of the amino acid composition of the proteins in the sample. This kit has been repeatedly used to measure the concentration of proteins in venom [28,39] and this is also the most commonly used method in our laboratory [10,34,35,40]. However, obtained results by 2-D Quant Kit and Bradford for A. contortrix venom show low variability, whereas for N. ashei venom, the differences are large.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…L-amino acid oxidases, CRISP proteins and lectin-like proteins are less abundant/less often seen [34,50]. On the other hand, 70% of N. ashei venom is composed of 3FTx proteins, less than 30% are PLA 2 and about 2% SVMP, and the remaining groups-CRISP, VNGF (Venom Nerve Growth Factor), nucleases and CVF (Cobra Venom Factor)-occur in trace amounts [35]. Subsequent studies on fractions obtained from chromatographic separation of this venom have shown that LAAO, SVSP and other proteins are also present, but they represent a very small percentage of venom proteins [51].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Methods for Measuring Protein Concentration in Venom Samples

Bocian

Sławek

Jaromin

et al. 2020

Animals

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Simple Summary: Snake venom is mostly composed of proteins and peptides, which are of interest to many researchers due to their potential pharmacological properties. Due to their biochemical character, these components are analyzed using proteomic techniques such as electrophoresis, chromatography and mass spectrometry. A very important stage of such studies is the measurement of protein concentration in the sample, which is most often performed by colorimetric methods. In the presented article, we used five such techniques on venoms of two snake species, namely Agkistrodon contortrix and Naja ashei. In the case of A. contortrix venom, four methods provide similar concentration values, whereas, in the case of N. ashei, the differences between results are very significant. The source of these differences should probably be seen in the differences in amino acid composition of proteins of these two venoms. With this report, we would like to draw attention to the need to select an appropriate method for measuring the concentration of protein in the venom, especially in the case of Elapid species.Abstract: Snake venom is an extremely interesting natural mixture of proteins and peptides, characterized by both high diversity and high pharmacological potential. Much attention has been paid to the study of venom composition of different species and also detailed analysis of the properties of individual components. Since proteins and peptides are the active ingredients in venom, rapidly developing proteomic techniques are used to analyze them. During such analyses, one of the routine operations is to measure the protein concentration in the sample. The aim of this study was to compare five methods used to measure protein content in venoms of two snake species: the Viperids representative, Agkistrodon contortrix, and the Elapids representative, Naja ashei. The study showed that for A. contortrix venom, the concentration of venom protein measured by four methods is very similar and only the NanoDrop method clearly stands out from the rest. However, in the case of N. ashei venom, each technique yields significantly different results. We hope that this report will help to draw attention to the problem of measuring protein concentration, especially in such a complex mixture as animal venoms.

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“…African spitting cobras are associated with morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Toxicological/pathological effects include blistering, edema, necrosis, respiratory paralysis and ophthalmia [8][9][10][11][12][13]. Naja ashei is one of the African spitting cobras and is a category 1 snake in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, and a category 2 snake in Tanzania [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enzymatic Activity And Brine Shrimp Lethality Of Venom From The Large Brown Spitting Cobra (Naja Ashei) And Its Neutralization By Antivenom

Okumu

Mbaria

Gikunju

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Objective There has been little focus on the enzymatic and lethal activities of Naja ashei venom and their neutralization by antivenom. This study aimed to determine the snake venom phospholipase A2/svPLA2 activity and brine shrimp lethality of N. ashei venom and their neutralization by two antivenoms (I and II). The venom of other snakes in East Africa including the puff adder (Bitis arietans), green mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps), black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis), Egyptian cobra (Naja haje), red spitting cobra (Naja pallida), and the Eastern forest cobra (Naja subfulva) were used for comparison. Results: N. subfulva venom had the highest svPLA2 activity while D. angusticeps venom had the least activity. N. subfulva venom was the most toxic in the 24-hour brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA), while N. ashei venom was the most toxic in the 48 and 72-hour assays. N. haje venom was the least toxic in all assays. One ml of antivenom I neutralized 0.075 µg of svPLA2 in N. ashei venom compared to 0.051 µg by antivenom II. Antivenom I was ineffective in neutralizing N .ashei venom-induced lethality but 1 ml of antivenom II neutralized 0.21 mg of N. ashei venom.

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First Look at the Venom of Naja ashei

Cited by 34 publications

References 50 publications

Antimicrobial Activity of Protein Fraction from Naja ashei Venom against Staphylococcus epidermidis

Antimicrobial Activity of Protein Fraction from Naja ashei Venom against Staphylococcus epidermidis

Comparison of Methods for Measuring Protein Concentration in Venom Samples

Enzymatic Activity And Brine Shrimp Lethality Of Venom From The Large Brown Spitting Cobra (Naja Ashei) And Its Neutralization By Antivenom

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