Venom is a key innovation underlying the evolution of advanced snakes (Caenophidia). Despite this, very little is known about venom system structural diversification, toxin recruitment event timings, or toxin molecular evolution. A multidisciplinary approach was used to examine the diversification of the venom system and associated toxins across the full range of the approximately 100 million-y...

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...

This study describes biochemical and biological properties of Naja kaouthia (Indian monocled cobra) venom of North-East India. The LD50 of the crude venom was found to be 0.148mg/kg and neurotoxicitic symptoms like paralysis of lower limbs and heavy difficulty in breathing at sub-lethal dose in mice was observed. The venom exhibited PLA2, indirect hemolytic and myotoxic activities but showed we...

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury causes a vigorous immune response that is amplified by complement activation, leading to local and remote tissue damage. Using MRL/lpr mice, which are known to experience accelerated tissue damage after mesenteric IR injury, we sought to evaluate whether complement inhibition mitigates organ damage. We found that complement depletion with cobra venom factor prot...

The present study emphasizes to reveal the antivenom activity of Aristolochia bracteolata Lam., Tylophora indica (Burm.f.) Merrill, and Leucas aspera S. which were evaluated against venoms of Daboia russelli russelli (Russell's viper) and Naja naja (Indian cobra). The aqueous extracts of leaves and roots of the above-mentioned plants and their polyherbal (1 : 1 : 1) formulation at a dose of 200...

Complement factor B (fB) circulates in plasma as a proenzyme that, upon binding to C3b in the presence of Mg(2+), is cleaved by factor D to produce Ba and Bb fragments. Activated Bb remains bound to C3b organizing the alternative pathway C3 convertase (C3bBb). Recently, we have visualized the stable C3bB(Ni(2+)) proconvertase using electron microscopy, revealing a large conformational change of...

A purified cobra venom factor with C-inhibiting activity also promotes lysis of erythrocytes in fresh mammalian serum. Lysis-inducing activity of purified cobra venom factor was found in sera of lower vertebrates including the cyclostome hagfish and in invertebrates. Lysis-inducing activity was most effective with frog serum. Frog serum was found to be more hemolytic for E(s) in the presence of...

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) from Indian cobra venom (Naja naja naja) was crystallized from ethanol in space group P4(3)2(1)2 in the presence of Ca2+. The x-ray crystal structure was determined to 2.3-A resolution by molecular replacement techniques using a theoretical model constructed from homologous segments of the bovine pancreatic, porcine pancreatic, and rattlesnake venom crystal structures. T...

Cytotoxins from cobra venom are known to manifest cytotoxicity in various cell types. It is widely accepted that the plasma membrane is a target of cytotoxins, but the mechanism of their action remains obscure. Using the confocal spectral imaging technique, we show for the first time that cytotoxins from cobra venom penetrate readily into living cancer cells and accumulate markedly in lysosomes...

Nicotine exerts its oncogenic effects through the binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and the activation of downstream pathways that block apoptosis and promote neo-angiogenesis. The nAChRs of the α7 subtype are present on a wide variety of cancer cells and their inhibition by cobra venom neurotoxins has been proposed in several articles and reviews as a potential innovative l...