Abstract

PEREANEZ J, Jaime A et al. INHIBITION OF PROTEOLITIC, COAGULANT AND INDIRECT HEMOLYTIC ACTIVITIES INDUCED BY Bothrops asper VENOM, BY ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS FROM THREE HELICONIAS SPECIES. Vitae [online]. 2008, vol.15, n.1, pp.157-164. ISSN 0121-4004.

In Colombia, Bothrops asper (mapaná) inflicts at least 70 to 90% of an approximated 3.000 snakebites reported each year. For many centuries, traditional medicine has used plants for treatment of snakebites. In Colombia, 60% of snakebite victims are initially attended by traditional healers or "chamanes", who use at least 100 medicinal plants species in different forms according to clinical conditions of patients. In this work, the ethanol extracts of three species of Heliconiaceae family, H. latispatha Benth, Hemidesmus indicus Petersen and H. curtispatha Petersen, were examined for their possible inhibitory ability against proteolytic, coagulant and indirect hemolytic effects induced by B. asper. The first of three induced more inhibition percentage of Indirect Hemolytic Activity than the Heliconia wagneriana, as well as induced reduction of venom proteins intensity with 14 KDa of molecular weight, belonging to phospholipases A2. The extract of H. latispatha showed major inhibition on the proteolytic effect induced by Bothrops asper venom, as well as greater change on the protein bands with molecular weights between 95 and 110 KDa, possibly belonging to proteases (metalloproteases). Heliconia curtispatha showed the greatest inhibitory ability against mentioned effects, including coagulant induced by Bothrops asper venom, and it did present degradation of all venom proteins , as well as it had been reported previously.

Keywords : snake venom; indirect hemolytic activity; proteolitic activity; coagulant activity; Bothrops asper; plant extracts; Heliconias.

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