Proteomic and biological characterization of the venom of the redtail coral snake, Micrurus mipartitus (Elapidae), from Colombia and Costa Rica

Two color morphs of the pelagic yellow-bellied sea snake, Pelamis platura, from different locations of Costa Rica: Snake venomics, toxicity, and neutralization by antivenom

“…The chromatographic profile of P. platura venom appears relatively simple ( Fig.3), and shows similarities to those of venoms from some terrestrial elapids analyzed in our laboratories using the same methodology, such as the African spitting cobras [47] and some coral snakes [48,49], or the marine elapid Hydrophis cyanocinctus [50]. The venom of P. platura was separated into twenty fractions (Fig.3), and 32 out of the 36 protein bands obtained after electrophoretic separation of the chromatographic peaks could be assigned to known protein families following in-gel digestion and tandem mass spectrometry ( Table 1).…”

Maintenance of red-tail coral snake (Micrurus mipartitus) in captivity and evaluation of individual venom variability

“…Venom from seven adult coral snakes (four females and three males) was evaluated through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using the method described by Rey-Suárez et al, (2011); thus 2 mg of each venom (except one snake of which only 1.6 mg was obtained) were diluted in 200 μL of 0.1 % trifluoroacetic acid (TFA, A solution), centrifuged at 7000 g for seven minutes and loaded on a Pinnacle DB C18 column (5 μm 250 x 4.6 mm) using a Shimadzu chromatograph. Elution was performed at 1 mL/min by applying a gradient solution B (acetonitrile, containing 0.1 % TFA) as follows: 5 % B for five minutes, 5-15 % B over ten min, 15-45 B over 60 min, and 45-70 % B over ten min.…”

“…The higher peaks obtained of HPLC were from two venoms with similar chromatogram profiles to describe Rey-Suárez et al, (2011) and two venoms with different chromatogram were evaluated through 15 % polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl-sulfate (SDS-PAGE) in non-reducing conditions. Protein bands were visualized using Coomassie brilliant blue R-250 staining.…”

“…Although myotoxic and indirect hemolytic activity in M. mipartitus venom in vitro studies had been demonstrated, it had not been clinical evidenced (Otero et al, 1992, Renjifo et al, 2012. Bites caused by coral snakes are generally classified as severe and their treatment involves the administration of a specific antivenom because it is known that crossneutralization between the venoms of the Micrurus species is of low magnitude, forcing produced anti-venoms with high neutralizing capacity that can be used against venoms for most species of coral snakes (Rey-Suárez et al, 2011).…”

“…Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate alternatives to standardize protocols for the maintenance of these species in captivity. The scope of this study is to evaluate different approaches on captive maintenance and characterize the individual variability of venom in adult individuals of Micrurus mipartitus, since there is little knowledge on the venom composition and action for this species and the importance of producing specific antivenoms (Rey-Suárez et al, 2011;Rey-Suárez et al, 2012, Renjifo et al, 2012.…”