The isolation of toxic fractions in venom of scorpion (Apistobuthus sosane)

Document Type : Physiology (Animal)

Authors

1 Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute, Southwest Branch, Iran

2 Payame Noor University of Mashhad, Iran

3 Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute, Department of Toxic Animals, Iran

Abstract

Khozestan province south western of Iran is a place with high distribution of Scorpions which are belonged to Buthidae, Scorpionidae and Hemscorpionidae families. The venoms from Buthidae scorpion specially have neurotoxins which specifically act on ionic channels in excitable cells of membrane. Apistobuthus sosane belong to buthidae family, which is yellow in color and its length is about 10 centimeter which is hunter from sandy places. its typical feature is that the second segment of tail is bigger than other segments. The target of this study was isolation and identification of toxic fraction venom of Apistobuthus sosane scorpion. In this study we used UV lamp for night collection of scorpions. Their venoms were extracted by electrical stimulation and were freeze-dried and mucoproteins of venom were separated, than the venom and fractions were injected to 18-20 gram albino mice for LD50 determination According to Sperman and Karber method. The venom was loded on a sephdex G50 column and fractions were collected according to UV absorption at 280 nm wave length. The toxic fraction Asf2, crude venom with the marker was electrophoresis. Molecular weights of toxic fraction 6 KD were collected.

Keywords