HEMORRHAGIC FACTORS FROM SNAKE-VENOMS - I - PROPERTIES OF HEMORRHAGICFACTORS AND ANTIHAEMORRHAGIC FACTORS

Haemorrhagic factors were purified from many snake venoms belong to Cr otalid and Viperid snakes, and they were characterized. These results indicate that they are metalloproteinases, and divided into four group s by their molecular weights and domain compositions, such as small (1 5 similar to 30 kDa), medium (30 similar to 50 kDa), large (50 similar to 80 kDa) and extra large (>80 kDa). And their enzymatic properties were differed from each other. Antihaemorrhagic factors were purified from the serum of venomous, non-venomous and warm-blooded animals, and characterized. In this review, we describe the properties of these ha emorrhagic factors and antihaemorrhagic factors.