Open AccessPRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION ABOUT THE ANTI-COMPLEMENT PROPERTIES OF PARTIALLY SEPARATED Vipera ammodytes VENOM
Author(s) -
Spaska Stanilova,
Zh. Zhelev,
I. Matev
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
the journal of venomous animals and toxins/the journal of venomous animals and toxins
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1678-4936
pISSN - 0104-7930
DOI - 10.1590/s0104-79301997000100005
Subject(s) - venom , complement system , chemistry , complement (music) , protease , classical complement pathway , biochemistry , biology , immunology , antibody , enzyme , complementation , gene , phenotype
The present study demonstrates that Vipera ammodytes venom is a potent inhibitor of human complement activation. Crude venom was fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography and each fraction was then tested for proteolytic, hemolytic and anti-complement activities. Three peaks decreased the hemolytic activity of human serum when measured using assays for the classical and alternative pathways of activation. One of the anti-complement peaks contains a protease capable of cleaving the C3 component of complement