Some toxic and enzymatic activities of Bothrops ammodytoides (yarara nata)venom

Bothrops ammodytoides, the smallest representative of this genus, is found only in Argentina. Venom was extracted from thirty adult specimens (35-70 c m in length, 90-300 g in weight) captured in the Province of Buenos Aires a nd kept in captivity. Venom yield was 3-30 mg. SDS-PAGE showed strong bands at 14.0, 23-25; 45; 54 and 63 kDa and weak bands at 17.0; 30.0; 40.0 and 8 5.0 kDa. Toxic activities were: LD50 (intravenous, mice) 0.5+/-0.2 mu g/g; minimal procoagulant dose on human plasma (MPD-P) 35+/-2 mg/1; and minimal defibrinogenating dose (MDD, mice) 6-12 mu g. Hemorrhagic and/or necrotic a ctivities appear to play a major role in lethality; minimal hemorrhagic dos e (MHD, mice) is 10+/-2 mu g/g and minimal necrotizing dose (MND, mice) is 35+/-5 mu g. The LD50, MPD-P and MND are among the lowest in venoms from Bo throps species found in Argentina. B. ammodytoides venom exhibited high pro teolytic and phospholipase Al activities. Most of the B. ammodytoides venom components cross-react with Bivalent Bothropic antivenom (Instituto Nacion al de Produccion de Biologicos ANLIS 'Dr. G. Malbran', against B. alternatu s and B. neuwiedii venoms). One mi of antivenom neutralizes 1.2 mg of B. am modytoides venom. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.