Bothrops mattogrossensis Snake Venom: how age and sex shape the chemistry of the envenoming
Abstract
In Brazil, the genus Bothrops is the main responsible for snakebite envenomation. Compositional variations in venoms can occur intra and interspecifically, influenced by age, sex, geographic distribution, seasonality and diet. This study biochemically analyzed venoms from individuals of the species Bothrops mattogrossensis, comparing venom composition and enzymatic activity according to age and sex. Age-dependent analyses suggested a tendency for increase in L-amino acid oxidase (LAAO) and Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activities with aging, in contrast to decreased proteolytic activities. Venoms from young showed higher coagulant activity than adults and senile. Electrophoretic profiles of young presented a similar pattern, with bands mainly between the 50 and 75 kDa. This pattern disappeared in adults and senile, which presented a high individual variation. Regarding sex, both presented similar LAAO activities, but males exhibited higher PLA2 activities, while female showed higher proteolytic activities. HPLC analysis showed large peaks close to 80 minutes in females, corresponding to high molecular weight proteins such as metalloproteases and LAAO, whereas males presented larger peaks between 40 and 60 minutes, which may correspond to PLA2, CTL, CRISP and serine proteases. SDS-PAGE of males exhibited more intense bands close to 15 kDa, while those of females were observed near 50 kDa. Venoms from young, adult and senile were similarly well immunorecognized by the commercial antivenom. These findings reveal ontogenetic and sex-related variations in Bothrops mattogrossensis venom. Since differences in venom composition can lead to distinct clinical manifestations, understanding this variability allows a better understanding of envenomation and improvements in treatment.
Tsuboi-Sato, G. A., Tasima, L. J., Venancio de Lima, E. O., Samele, V. M., Serino-Silva, C., Sant’anna, S. S., Grego, K. F., & Tanaka-Azevedo, A. M. (2025). Bothrops mattogrossensis Snake Venom: How age and sex shape the chemistry of the envenoming. Toxicon, 108966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108966