Experimental production and efficacy testing of mono-specific antibodies against the venom of carpet viper (Echis ocellatus) from savannah Nigeria
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2024
Abstract
Echis ocellatus is one of the commonest snakes responsible for envenomation in Nigeria. Antivenom is the only effective treatment, but the country suffers from a limited supply of effective antivenom. This study therefore aimed to explore the feasibility of effective, mono-specific antibodies production through immunization in rabbits using the venom of Echis ocellatus from Nigeria. The World Health Organization guide on antivenom production was employed in the immunization and the resultant antibodies were purified using protein A agarose column chromatography. Antibody titer reached a high plateau by 2-month immunization, and SDS PAGE of the sera suggests the presence of intact immunoglobulins accompanied with the heavy (50 kDa) and light (25 kDa) chains. The venom has an intravenous LD50 of 0.35 mg/kg in mice, and the venom lethality at a challenge dose of 2 LD50 was effectively neutralized by the antibodies with a potency value of 0.83 mg venom per g antibodies. The antibodies also neutralized the procoagulant activity of the venom with an effective dose (ED) of 13 +/- 0.66 mu l, supporting its use for hemotoxic envenomation. The study establishes the feasibility of developing effective, mono-specific antibodies against the Nigerian Carpet viper.
Keywords
Snake venom, Echis ocellatus, Antibody production, Antivenom
Divisions
fac_med
Funders
Tertiary Education Trustfund (TETFUND) experimental grant,International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUMB)
Publication Title
Toxicon
Volume
248
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher Location
THE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, ENGLAND