Evaluation of anti-plasmodium effect of Iranian snake venom by Real-time PCR

Introduction: Malaria is one of the most important parasitic diseases and one of the important health issues especially in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. . The importance of this disease is due to its high prevalence, significant mortality, as well as drug resistance and, side effects of current drugs in treatment. Venom is a complex mixture of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-Plasmodium falciparum activity of the purified fraction of Iranian cobra snake venom by Real -time PCR. Materials and Methods: After Lyophilized venom was purified for determining  inhibitory concentration 50% against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 in vitro, in different dilution plates, different fractions obtained from Iranian cobra snake venom were adjacent to Plasmodium falciparum in the ring stage. The degree of parasitemia was determined. Finally, the effective fraction with antiplasmodial properties was identified. Results: The results showed that the most effective fraction had IC50 0.026 μg/mL on P. falciparum in vitro (p<0.001) . Conclusion: The results were promising considering the anti-Plasmodium effect of the active fraction of Iranian cobra venom in the mentioned concentration and motivated the continuation of advanced research in this field.