Snake Venom Database: Venom Components, Toxins, Applications

Biomedicine

Snake venom components and their applications in biomedicine.

Summary table

Type of compound	Action on the body	Family/Species
Acetylcholinesterases (AChE)	Might cause tetanic paralysis	Colubridae, Elapidae
Arginine esterases	Predigest prey	Viperidae
Bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPP)	Pain, hypotension, immobilize prey	Viperidae
C-type lectins	Modulate platelet activity, prevent clotting	Viperidae
Cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRiSP)	Induce hypothermia, immobilize prey	Colubridae, Elapidae, Viperidae
Disintegrins	Inhibit platelet activity, promote hemorrhaging	Viperidae
Hyaluronidases	Increase interstitial fluidity, aiding the dissemination of venom from the bite site	Elapidae, Viperidae
L-amino acid oxidases (LAAO)	Cell damage/apoptosis	Elapidae, Viperidae
Metalloproteinases (MPr)	Hemorrhage, myonecrosis, believed to predigest prey	Atractaspididae, Colubridae, Elapidae, Viperidae
Myotoxins	Myonecrosis, analgesia, immobilize prey	Viperidae
Nerve growth factors	Might cause cell apoptosis	Elapidae, Viperidae
Phosphodiesterases (PDE)	Might cause hypotension, shock	Colubridae, Elapidae, Viperidae
PhospholipaseA2 (PLA2)	Myotoxicity, myonecrosis, damage to cell membranes	Colubridae, Elapidae, Viperidae
PLA2-based presynaptic neurotoxins	Immobilize prey	Elapidae, Viperidae
Prothrombin activators	Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC: small clots form throughout body, leading to uncontrolled bleeding), which can be fatal	Elapidae
Purines and pyrimidines	Might cause hypotension, paralysis, apoptosis, necrosis, immobilization of prey	Elapidae, Viperidae
Sarafotoxins	Myocardial ischemia (reduced blood flow to heart), increase blood pressure, disturb heart rhythm	Atractaspididae
Serine proteases	Hemostasis disruption, hypotension, immobilize prey	Colubridae, Viperidae
Three-finger toxins (3FTx)	Rapid immobilization of prey, paralysis, death	Colubridae, Elapidae

Toxin		Toxin activity type/ Functional target	Clinical effects	Source
Neurotoxin	Short-chain neurotoxins	Post-synaptic; high affinity to skeletal and Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR); bind to neuronal a7 nAChR with lower affinity or none.	Flaccid paralysis; Often reversal with antivenom therapy	Elapids and Hydrophids (Cobras, Sea snakes, Kraits, Australian Elapids)
	Long-chain neurotoxins	Post-synaptic; comparatively higher affinity towards neuronal a7 nAChR than the skeletal receptors.	Flaccid paralysis; Often reversal with antivenom therapy	Elapids and Hydrophids (Cobras, Sea snakes, Kraits, Australian Elapids)
	Weak neurotoxins	Post-synaptic; weak affinity to both the skeletal and neuronal nAChRs (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors)	Flaccid paralysis; Often reversal with antivenom therapy	Elapids (Cobras, Kraits, Australian Elapids)
	Taipoxin	Presynaptic; binds specifically to neuronal plasma membranes especially at the neuromuscular junction.	Flaccid paralysis; Resistant to late antivenom therapy	Australian Elapid (Taipan)
	β -Bungarotoxins	Presynaptic; presynaptic voltage dependent K+ channel	Flaccid paralysis Resistant to late antivenom therapy	Elapids (Kraits)
	Muscarinic toxins	Anticholinesterase;specific to mAChR (muscarinic acetylcholine receptor)subtype and bind with high affinity	Flaccid paralysis; Fasciculation	Elapids (Mamba, Kraits and Cobras)
	Dendrotoxins; , toxins I and K	Inhibit neurotransmissions by blocking the exchange of positive and negative ions across the neuronal membrane lead to no nerve impulse, thereby paralysing the nerves.	Nerve paralysis	Elapids (Mambas)
Cardiotoxin	Cardiotoxin-3 (CTX-3)	They bind to particular sites on the surface of muscle cells and cause depolarisation ==> the toxin prevents muscle contraction. These toxins may cause the heart to beat irregularly or stop beating, causing death.	Direct cardiotoxicity	Mambas, and some Cobra species
	Three-finger toxins (3FTx)	Rapid immobilization of prey, paralysis, death		Colubridae, Elapidae
Myotoxin	Myotoxin-a, crotamine	Myonecrosis, analgesia, immobilize prey	Systemic skeletal muscle damage	Viperidae
Haemotoxins	Haemostatic system toxins	Affects the blood and organs, causing a breakdown or inflammation in the body	Interfere with normal haemostasis, causing either bleeding or thrombosis	Most Vipers and many Cobra species
	Haemorrhagins; Phospholipase A₂, mucrotoxinA, hemorrhagic toxins a, b, c..., HT1, HT2		Damage vascular wall, causing bleeding	Most Vipers and many Cobra species
Nephrotoxins			Direct renal damage
	Acetylcholinesterases (AChE)	Believed to cause tetanic paralysis		Colubridae, Elapidae
	Hyaluronidases	Increase interstitial fluidity, aiding the dissemination of venom from the bite site		Elapidae, Viperidae
	Bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPP)	Pain, hypotension, immobilize prey		Viperidae
	Phosphodiesterases (PDE)	Believed to cause hypotension, shock		Colubridae, Elapidae, Viperidae
	Prothrombin activators	Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC: small clots form throughout body, leading to uncontrolled bleeding), which can be fatal		Elapidae
	Serine proteases	Hemostasis disruption, hypotension, immobilize prey		Colubridae, Viperidae
Cytotoxin (Enzymes)	Metalloproteases (MP),	Apoptosis induction	Hemorrhage, myonecrosis, believed to predigest prey	Atractaspididae, Colubridae, Elapidae, Viperidae
Disintegrins	RGD motif-dependent integrins, leukocyte integrin-binding disintegrins, a1β1 integrin-bindingdisintegrins	Inhibit platelet activity, promote hemorrhaging	Antiangiogenesis	Viperidae
	L-amino acid oxidases (LAAOs)	Free radical generation, apoptosis induction	Cell damage/apoptosis	Elapidae, Viperidae
	C-type lectins	Modulate platelet activity, prevent clotting	Antiangiogenesis	Viperidae
	Phospholipases A₂ (PLA₂s)	Direct toxic action and damage to cell membranes, apoptosis induction	Myotoxicity, Myonecrosis	Colubridae, Elapidae, Viperidae
Antibacterial agent	L-amino acid oxidase (LAAO)
	Phospholipase A2 (PLA2)
	Cathelicidin
Antitumoral
Antiviral agent
Other toxins	Lectins
	Nerve growth factors	Believed to cause cell apoptosis		Elapidae, Viperidae
	Phospholipase inhibitors
	Proteinase inhibitors
	Complement inhibitors