PURPOSE The present investigation was aimed at evaluating the anti-ophidian properties of ethnomedicinal herb Leucas aspera against Indian cobra, Naja naja venom enzymes. METHODS Methanolic extract of Leucas aspera was evaluated, in vitro, for its ability to inhibit the major enzyme activities of Naja naja venom including protease, phospholipase A2, hyaluronidase and hemolytic factors. The ty...

A set of radioiodinatable phosphatidylcholines (PCs) derivatized with the Bolton-Hunter reagent (BHPCs) was synthesized to probe the substrate recognition and activity of phospholipases. A common feature of this series is the presence of a bulky 4-hydroxyphenyl group at the end of the fatty acyl chain attached to position sn-2. The distance between the end group and the glycerol backbone was va...

The present study evaluated the acute bio-physiological effects of Lethal dose 50 (LD 50) of crude venom of Black Pakistani Cobra, Naja naja karachiensis, collected from Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Adult mice (n=20) were injected intramuscularly with normal saline (n/s) or LD50 of crude venom (1.2mg/kg). Blood was collected by cardiac puncture after anesthesia at intervals 0 (n/s), and 1, 1.5, 2...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most significant social and health burdens of the present century. Plaques formed by extracellular deposits of amyloid β (Aβ) are the prime player of AD's neuropathology. Studies have implicated the varied role of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in brain where it contributes to neuronal growth and inflammatory response. Overall contour and chemical nature of the s...

Treatment of the electron transport membrane fraction of Rhodospirillum rubrum with phospholipase A from the venom of Naja Naja resulted in a stimulation of NADHand succinate-cytochrome c-reductase of the electron transfer chain. The mechanism of this stimulation appears to be identical with that found in the presence of the anionic detergent deoxycholate. At the same time the NADH oxidase syst...

The resistance of bacteria against the use of conventional antibiotics has become a serious threat to public health and considering the associated side effect with antibiotics; new strategies to find and develop new molecules with novel modes of action has received grate attention in recent years. In this study, when the antibacterial potential of an acidic protein-NN-XIb-PLA2 (Naja naja venom ...