Comparative enzymatic study of venoms of the rattlesnakes Crotalus aquilus and Crotalus ravus exiguus

Abstract

In this study we compared the phospholipase A2 and proteolytic activities (on casein), and the presence and molecular weight of proteins in venoms of the mountain rattlesnakes Crotalus aquilus and Crotalus ravus exiguus, endemic species from Mexico; information about biological activities and their venom composition are scarce. Phospholipase type 2 (PLA2) and caseinolytic activities produced by total venom from each species were determined by spectrophotometry. Also, separation of snake venom proteins was performed in 11% acrylamide gel under reducing conditions. PLA2 and caseinolytic activities from C.r.exiguus venom were higher than venom from C. aquilus. The electrophoretic profile from venom of C. aquilus showed bands with a molecular weight of ~14 to ~84 kDa, while C.r.exiguus exhibited bands in the range of ~14 to ~70 kDa. This is the first report about the biochemical properties of C.r.exiguus venom, and venom properties of C. aquilus are scarce.