Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, Karnataka, India.
The Liana Trust, Survey #1418/1419 Rathnapuri, Hunsur 571189, Karnataka, India.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Dec 31;253(Pt 2):126708. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126708. Epub 2023 Sep 9.
Despite being famous as 'the king' of the snake world, the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) has remained a mysterious species, particularly with respect to its venom ecology. In contrast, venom research has largely focussed on the 'big four' snakes that are greatly responsible for the burden of snakebite in the Indian subcontinent. This study aims to bridge the current void in our understanding of the O. hannah venom by investigating its proteomic, biochemical, pharmacological, and toxinological profiles via interdisciplinary approaches. Considering their physical resemblance, the king cobra is often compared to the spectacled cobra (Naja naja). Comparative venomics of O. hannah and N. naja in this study provided interesting insights into their venom compositions, activities, and potencies. Our findings suggest that the O. hannah venom, despite being relatively less complex than the N. naja venom, is equally potent. Finally, our in vitro and in vivo assays revealed that both Indian polyvalent and Thai Red Cross monovalent antivenoms completely fail to neutralise the O. hannah venom. Our findings provide guidelines for the management of bites from this clinically important yet neglected snake species in India.
尽管作为“蛇界之王”而闻名，但眼镜王蛇（Ophiophagus hannah）仍然是一种神秘的物种，特别是在其毒液生态方面。相比之下，毒液研究主要集中在“四大毒蛇”上，它们是印度次大陆蛇咬伤负担的主要原因。本研究旨在通过跨学科方法研究其蛋白质组学、生物化学、药理学和毒素学特征，以填补我们对 O. hannah 毒液的认识空白。考虑到它们的物理相似性，眼镜王蛇经常与眼镜蛇（Naja naja）进行比较。本研究中 O. hannah 和 N. naja 的比较 venomomics 为它们的毒液成分、活性和效力提供了有趣的见解。我们的研究结果表明，尽管 O. hannah 毒液的复杂性相对较低，但它同样有效。最后，我们的体外和体内检测表明，印度多价和泰国红十字会单价抗蛇毒血清都完全不能中和 O. hannah 毒液。我们的研究结果为管理印度临床上重要但被忽视的蛇种咬伤提供了指导。
