Effects of a metalloprotease and an acidic phospholipase A2 from Bothrops atrox snake venom on the complement system and the inflammatory process

Abstract

Snake venoms are complex mixtures of inorganic and organic compounds constituted mainly of proteins and peptides. Among their toxic components are the metalloproteases, enzymes responsible for various local and systemic effects such as hemorrhage, myonecrosis, skin lesions, inflammation and activation of the complement system. Other toxic components are the phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), which act hydrolytically on membrane phospholipids and may present myotoxic, cardiotoxic, neurotoxic, hemolytic and inflammatory effects. This project aims at assessing the individual and synergistic effects of two enzymes previously isolated and partially characterized from the venom of Bothrops atrox (a PI class metalloprotease called Batroxase, and an acidic phospholipase A2 called BaPLA2-IV) on the complement system and the inflammatory process. The results obtained in this work should bring scientific advancements for understanding the still poorly studied effects of these classes of enzymes on the inflammatory processes induced after Bothrops envenomation. According to these data, possible actions of these toxins regarding epigenetic changes that culminate in alterations in the protein profile of the studied cells could be suggested, allowing a possible renewal of the scholarship for the determination of how these changes could be related to the immune response induced after the ophidian accident.