Proteomic characterization and enzymatic and pathophysiological activities of the venom of the snake species that compose the Bothrops neuwiedi group

Abstract

Envenomation by snakebites is classified by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease, responsible for approximately 2.5 million envenomations and 150,000 deaths per year. In Brazil, species belonging to the genus Bothrops represent the most important group of snakes for public health, accounting for about 86.7% of recorded snakebites. Among these species, the one with the greatest geographic distribution is Bothrops neuwiedi (B. neuwiedi). The snakes that composed the so-called "B. neuwiedi complex" underwent a taxonomic revision in 2008, based on morphological characters. As a result of this analysis, it was proposed that this complex is in fact composed by 7 full species: B. neuwiedi, B. diporus, B. lutzi, B. mattogrossensis, B. pauloensis, B. pubescens and B. marmoratus. Recently, this classification was corroborated on the basis of molecular data, involving mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences. However, studies involving the proteomic and pathophysiological characterization of the venoms of these species after the taxonomic revision of the group are scarce. Only the venom of B. diporus (from Argentina) and B. pauloensis had their proteome characterized. In contrast, to the best of our knowledge, no studies on the composition and biological activities of the venom is avaliable for B. lutzi, B. marmoratus, B. mattogrossensis and B. pubescens. In addition, although there is a number of studies involving B. neuwiedi venom, new analyzes are necessary considering that most of the existing studies do not specify the subspecies used or use a mixture of venom of different subspecies, according to the former taxonomical classification. Considering the complexity of the B. neuwiedi group and the relevance of these species to public health, a multifaceted study comparing the venom protein composition of these species and their reactivity with the anti-venom produced by the Butantan Institute is of huge importance. The characterization of the venom of the species that compose the B. neuwiedi group will be of great contribution to (i) the knowledge per se of the venom characteristics of each species, including protein composition and pathophysiological activities; (ii) the correlation between the characteristics of the venoms and the phylogenetic relationships of the species under study; and (iii) the investigation of the efficiency of antibothropic serum in neutralizing the venom of each one of these species. (AU)