Isolamento e caracterização de toxinas do veneno de Bothrops alcatraz Marques, Martins e Sazima, 2002 e aspectos coevolutivos com a dieta / Isolation and characterization of toxins of Bothrops alcatraz Marques, Martins e Sazima, 2002 venom and coevolutive aspects with diet

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

Snakes venoms are complex mixtures with varied composition constituted by organic and inorganic molecules. The main organic components are proteins, which can be toxic and show high enzymatic activities, thus playing important role in prey capture and digestion in snakes. Viperidae snakes family show wide range of biological actions, as proteolytic, coagulant, hemorrhagic, neurotoxic and myotoxic activities. Snake populations inhabiting endemically islands are useful models for evolution studies, specially when compared to their congeneric continental species. Bothrops species ancestors from Southeastern Brazil underwent geographic isolation about 9 thousand years ago, during the Pleistocene Period, when land portions were separated from the continent by the sea. The isolation originated new (island endemic) Bothrops species. Studies related to those snake venoms, its specialties and differences among continental species of the genera Bothrops are scarce. The Alcatrazes Archipelago is located in São Paulo coast, 35 kilometer far from the continent. There are no register of mammals in those islands, except for bats. Bothrops alcatraz is endemic from the Alcatrazes Island. Adults show some similarities to young specimens from the continental jararaca group. They feed exclusively on ectothermic animals and their venom shows a different composition. The aim of this study was to analyze the endemic island snake, B. alcatraz, venom, isolating by chromatography the venom fractions. Results indicated that B. alcatraz venom presents coagulant, phospholipase, myotoxic and edema forming activities higher than continental B. jararaca venom. The proteolytic, haemorrhagic and mice toxicity are higher on B. jararaca venom. The specific neurotoxic action in arthropods of B. alcatraz venom suggests a phospholipase A2 action, which was isolated bt cromatography. The properties and composition of B. alcatraz venom indicates a possible evolution of toxins adapted to the prey kinds.

ASSUNTO(S)

alcatrazes island phospholipase a2 fosfolipase a2 endemism bothrops alcatraz endeminsmo venenos ofídicos diet snake venom ilha de alcatrazes bothrops alcatraz dieta

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