Intraspecific variation in Bothrops neuwiedi snake venom: Influence of age and sex.

Authors

Eduardo Oliveira Venancio de Lima, Juan David Gutiérrez Marín, Lídia Jorge Tasima, Caroline Serino-Silva, Jackson Gabriel Miyamoto, Alexandre Keiji Tashima, Kathleen Fernandes Grego, Anita Mitico Tanaka-Azevedo

Published in

Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology. Pages 109255. Aug 09, 2026. Epub Aug 09, 2026.

Abstract

Snake venom is a complex mixture of molecules and is subject to intraspecific variations due to the influence of abiotic and/or biotic factors, one of which is the animal's ontogeny. Some studies have already shown the influence of age on the composition and properties of snake venom, but these variations are not uniform, and each species may exhibit a specific pattern of variation. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the influence of age on the venom of Bothrops neuwiedi, using 5 age groups, differentiating between males and females. To this end, we analyzed the protein profile of these venoms (using SDS-PAGE, HPLC, and proteomic analyses); enzymatic activities (PLA₂, LAAO, and proteolytic activities); coagulant activity, in vivo assays (MDH; LD₅₀ and ED₅₀), and immunorecognition tests (Western blotting and ELISA). Protein profile analysis showed that males exhibited a gradual increase in SVMP and PLA₂ concentrations. Both sexes showed a decrease in CTL concentration and a loss of PLA₂ activity, which occurred more gradually in males. Proteolytic activity did not show clear ontogenetic differences, but both sexes showed activity peaks in the 2-year-old and senile groups, with females exhibiting higher proteolytic activity than males. Regarding LAAO activity, it increased in males and decreased in females. Although the LD50 did not show age-dependent differences, the venom from the 1-year-old group took longer to cause death in mice but showed a higher hemorrhagic activity than seniles. Furthermore, more antivenom was needed to neutralize the venom from the 1-year-old group than the venom from the senile group; despite this, immunorecognition tests did not show significant ontogenetic variations. In conclusion, the venom of the snake B. neuwiedi undergoes ontogenetic variations with certain sexual differences, showing some peculiarities that have not been found in ontogenetic analyses of other species of the same genus.

PMID:
42571823
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Aug 2026.

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