This presentation discusses snake venoms and their biochemistry. It begins by defining snake venom as a mixture of toxins used for prey digestion and defense. The presentation then covers the main protein and toxin components of venoms, including neurotoxins, cytotoxins, and hemotoxins. Various physiological effects of these toxins types are also described. The presentation concludes by noting that antivenoms have been developed from antibodies to treat snake bites, but may cause minor side effects in some cases.

1. PRESENTATION FOR BIOCHEMISTRY
(GCMB212)
TOPIC- THE WORLD OF SNAKE VENOMS
GROUP 6
Bimalangshu Das
Neha Sengupta
Pratik Pandey
Abhishek Das
Soumya Shubhra Kundu
Siddhartha Ghosh
B.TECH BIOTECHNOLOGY SEC A
AMITY UNIVERSITY KOLKATA

2. WHAT IS A SNAKE VENOM?
– A snake venom or for that case venom is a cocktail or a mixture of toxins typically zootoxins which help
in the digestion or immobilization of prey and also used a defense mechanism
– The word venom is derived from the Latin word “veneum”meaning poison.

3. THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF THE SNAKE VENOM
• It contains mostly proteins nearly 90-95% of the venom’s weight and it is
responsible for most of the biological nature or action of the venom.
• There are nearly tens, thousands of venom in the snake venom. These include
toxins as well as nontoxic proteins which are used in the pharmacy industry. They
also contain enzymes mainly the hydrolytic ones.
• Proteins with molecular weight(13-150 KDa) 80-90% of viperid and 25-70% of
elapid venoms, including digestive hydrolases, L-amino-acid oxidase,
phospholipases, thrombin-like pro-coagulant, and kallikrein-like serine proteases
and metalloproteinases (hemorrhagins), which damage vascular endothelium.
Polypeptide toxins (molecular weight 5-10 KDa) include cytotoxins, cardiotoxins,
and postsynaptic neurotoxins (such as α-bungarotoxin and α-Cobra toxin), which
bind to acetylcholine receptors at neuromuscular junctions.
• The snake venoms are typically acidic and are yellow in color with a specific gravity
of 1.030 to 1.070 and are mostly soluble in water.

4. BIOCHEMISTRY CONTINUED….
• Compounds with low molecular weight (up to 1.5 KDa) include metals, peptides, lipids, nucleosides,
carbohydrates, amines, and oligopeptides, which inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and potentiate
bradykinin (BPP)
• Inter- and intra-species variation in venom chemical composition is geographical and ontogenic.
Phosphodiesterase interfere with the prey's cardiac system, mainly to lower the blood pressure. Phospholipase
A2 causes hemolysis by lysing the phospholipid cell membranes of red blood cells.
• Amino acid oxidases and proteases are used for digestion. Amino acid oxidase also triggers some other enzymes
and is responsible for the yellow color of the venom of some species. Hyaluronidase increases tissue
permeability to accelerate the absorption of other enzymes into tissues. Some snake venoms carry fasciculins,
like the mambas (Dendroaspis), which inhibit cholinesterase to make the prey lose muscle control.
• Snake toxins vary greatly in their functions. The two broad classes of toxins found in snake venoms are
neurotoxins (mostly found in elapids) and hemotoxins (mostly found in viperids). However, exceptions occur –
the venom of the black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis), an elapid, consists mainly of cytotoxins, while
that of the Mojave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus), a viperid, is primarily neurotoxic. Both elapids and viperids
may carry numerous other types of toxins.

5. TOXINS FOUND IN SNAKE VENOM.
• There are three types of toxins found in the snake venom:
• NEUROTOXIN
• CYTOTOXIN
• HEMOTOXIN

6. NEUROTOXIN.
• The type of toxins found in most of the snake venoms, these usually act on the CNS.
• CLASSIFICATIONS OF NEUROTOXIC VENOM.
a) FASCICULINS
found in : Rattle snakes,
b) DENDROTOXINS
found in : Black mamba
c) α-neurotoxins
found in: Kraits and cobras.

7. CYTOTOXIN
• Cytotoxin works on a molecular level by destroying the cell membrane thus
destroying the tissue cell by cell. ... The pain from a cytotoxic bite is almost
immediate and swelling and tissue necrosis will begin at the bite site and progress
from there as the venom spreads through the body.
• Categories of Cytotoxic Venoms
a) Phospholipases
b) Cardiotoxins
c) Hemotoxins
Pictures on the right show 1) before venom effect
2) after venom effect

8. HEMOTOXIN
 These category of Toxins act on the circulatory system and capillaries and
they act directly on the heart.
 Hemotoxic venom act on the red blood cells and can affect the lungs.
A rattlesnake venom is hemotoxic.

9. MYOTOXIN
• The venom if myotoxic contains peptides that destroy muscle fiber proteins and cause
myonecrosis.
• Venom of Brazilian lance head snake
• Symptoms include : a) Nausea
• b) Blackish-Brown Urine Discharge
• c) Thirst
• d) Muscular spasm

10. METHOD TO DETERMINE VENOM
TOXICITY
LD50 (LETHAL DOSE)METHOD
Snake venom toxicity is assessed by a toxicological test
called the median lethal dose, LD50,
It determines the concentration of a toxin required to
kill half the members of a tested population. The potency
of wild snake venom varies considerably because of
assorted influences such as biophysical environment,
physiological status, ecological variables, genetic
variation (either adaptive or incidental), and other
molecular and ecological evolutionary factors.

11. VACCINE INJECTION AND THEIR MECHANISMS
• The vaccine injection depends from snake to snake and also depends on how well the
venom apparatus of a snake is developed.
• Basically we will be looking as to how different the venom delivery is in three main family of
venomous snakes , vipers, elapids and colubrid
- RATTLESNAKE (VIPERS) BLACK MAMBA (ELAPIDAE) BOOMSLANG (COLUBRID)

12. PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF SNAKE VENOM
• Some basic info…
- Hemotoxic venom acts on the cardiovascular system particularly the heart.
- Neurotoxic venom acts on the nervous system, including the brain.
- Cytotoxic venom has a localized action at the site of the bite.

13. IMMUNITY AGAINST SNAKE VENOM.
• While looking at immunity against snake venom, we will be basically looking into immunity
of snake venom against :
• A) among other snakes
• B) among other animals
• C) among humans

14. TREATMENT OF SNAKE VENOM
• The treatment of a venomus snake bite can be divided into two methods:-
• A) Traditional Treatments
• B) Serotherapy

15. Antivenom
 Antivenom, also known as antivenin, venom antiserum, and antivenom
immunoglobulin, is a specific treatment for envenomation. It is composed of
antibodies and used to treat certain venomous bites and stings
 French physician Alberte Calmette developed the
First antivenom in the world against the Indian cobra :
Naja Naja

16. Milking of Snake Venom and
Production of Antivenom.
 To produce an antivenom we first milk
The snake’s venom is taken out and this
Process is called milking of snake venom.

17. Production of Antivenom

18. Uses of Antivenom
 The antivenom of snake black mamba is said to have good analgesic properties
 Medicines used from neurotoxins are used to treat brain strokes
 Hemotoxin is used to treat heart diseases
 The anti-venoms lowers the activity of cancer cells by apoptogenic effect.

19. Side Effects of Antivenom.
 Antivenoms are purified from animal serum by several processes and may
contain other serum proteins that can act as immunogens. Some individuals
may react to the antivenom with an immediate hypersensitivity reaction
(anaphylaxis) or a delayed hypersensitivity (serum sickness) reaction, and
antivenom should, therefore, be used with caution. Although rare, severe
hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis to antivenin are possible.

20. CONCLUSION
 Snake Venom is probably a very underrated thing in the world of science.
It is a killer as well as a savior and also it is a nightmare for some and a
light at the end of tunnel for some

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