Jones Lee, Neri-Castro Edgar, Youngman Nicholas J, Llinas Joshua, Haworth Mark, Gillett Amber, Fry Bryan G
Adaptive Biotoxicology Lab, School of the Environment, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Avenida Universidad S/N. Fracc. Filadelfia, Gómez Palacio, Dgo., C.P. 35010, Mexico.
Toxicon. 2025 Sep;264:108453. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108453. Epub 2025 Jun 9.
Venom is an adaptative trait that allows predators to subjugate prey. Despite this, there remains a distinct lack of research regarding the coagulotoxic effects of snake venom upon a species preferred prey. Using thrombelastography, this study aimed to characterize coagulotoxic venom effects from the Central American pit viper clade of Atropoides, Cerrophidion, Metlpailcoatlus, and Porthidium against the plasma of model species: amphibian, avian, lizard and rodent. Venom from Atropoides and Metlapilcoaltus exhibited anticoagulant activity in rodent and lizard plasma by disrupting the formation of stable clots. While clotting time was reduced, the clots formed were weak and transient, indicating impaired coagulation. This activity did not correspond to avian and amphibian plasma, where no activity was observed. Porthidium volcanicum, Cerrophidion tzotilorum and Porthidium porrasi showed coagulotoxic activity against all plasmas tested. Consistent with the described procoagulant effect on human plasma, Porthidium volcanicum reduced clotting time and produced strong, stable clots in amphibian, lizard and rodent plasma. Intriguingly, this venom displayed an anticoagulant effect upon avian plasma, with clotting time significantly delayed. Cerrophidion tzotzilorum and Porthidium porrasi venoms produced an anticoagulant effect on avian plasma but had no effect against amphibian plasma. In addition, C. tzotzilorum and P. porrasi venoms displayed the fibrinogen-depleting pseudo-procoagulant/thrombin-like type of anticoagulant activity previously observed in human plasma against lizard plasma. However, they differed in their effects on rodent plasma. While C. tzotzilorum retained the pseudo-procoagulant/thrombin-like activity, P. porrasi delayed clotting time. The wide variation in activity observed within this study highlights the importance of studying venom activity upon relevant prey models and the limitations of extrapolating animal models to predict human related envenoming.
毒液是一种适应性特征，使捕食者能够征服猎物。尽管如此，关于蛇毒对物种偏好猎物的凝血毒性作用的研究仍然明显不足。本研究使用血栓弹力图，旨在表征来自中美洲蝰蛇属Atropoides、Cerrophidion、Metlpailcoatlus和Porthidium分支的凝血毒性毒液对模型物种（两栖动物、鸟类、蜥蜴和啮齿动物）血浆的影响。Atropoides和Metlapilcoaltus的毒液通过破坏稳定凝块的形成，在啮齿动物和蜥蜴血浆中表现出抗凝活性。虽然凝血时间缩短，但形成的凝块脆弱且短暂，表明凝血功能受损。这种活性在鸟类和两栖动物血浆中未观察到。火山口矛头蝮、乔氏矛头蝮和波氏矛头蝮对所有测试血浆均表现出凝血毒性活性。与对人血浆所描述的促凝作用一致，火山口矛头蝮缩短了凝血时间，并在两栖动物、蜥蜴和啮齿动物血浆中产生了强大、稳定的凝块。有趣的是，这种毒液对鸟类血浆表现出抗凝作用，凝血时间显著延迟。乔氏矛头蝮和波氏矛头蝮的毒液对鸟类血浆产生抗凝作用，但对两栖动物血浆无作用。此外，乔氏矛头蝮和波氏矛头蝮的毒液表现出先前在人血浆对蜥蜴血浆中观察到的消耗纤维蛋白原的假促凝/类凝血酶型抗凝活性。然而，它们对啮齿动物血浆的影响不同。虽然乔氏矛头蝮保留了假促凝/类凝血酶活性，但波氏矛头蝮延迟了凝血时间。本研究中观察到的活性广泛差异凸显了研究毒液对相关猎物模型活性的重要性，以及外推动物模型来预测人类相关中毒的局限性。
