scholarly journals Coagulotoxicity of Bothrops (Lancehead Pit-Vipers) Venoms from Brazil: Differential Biochemistry and Antivenom Efficacy Resulting from Prey-Driven Venom Variation

Toxins ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leijiane Sousa ◽  
Christina Zdenek ◽  
James Dobson ◽  
Bianca op den Brouw ◽  
Francisco Coimbra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Factor X ◽  
Intraspecific Variations ◽  
New Information ◽  
Prey Escape ◽  
Factor X Activation ◽  
Bothrops Atrox

Lancehead pit-vipers (Bothrops genus) are an extremely diverse and medically important group responsible for the greatest number of snakebite envenomations and deaths in South America. Bothrops atrox (common lancehead), responsible for majority of snakebites and related deaths within the Brazilian Amazon, is a highly adaptable and widely distributed species, whose venom variability has been related to several factors, including geographical distribution and habitat type. This study examined venoms from four B. atrox populations (Belterra and Santarém, PA; Pres. Figueiredo, AM and São Bento, MA), and two additional Bothrops species (B. jararaca and B. neuwiedi) from Southeastern region for their coagulotoxic effects upon different plasmas (human, amphibian, and avian). The results revealed inter– and intraspecific variations in coagulotoxicity, including distinct activities between the three plasmas, with variations in the latter two linked to ecological niche occupied by the snakes. Also examined were the correlated biochemical mechanisms of venom action. Significant variation in the relative reliance upon the cofactors calcium and phospholipid were revealed, and the relative dependency did not significantly correlate with potency. Relative levels of Factor X or prothrombin activating toxins correlated with prey type and prey escape potential. The antivenom was shown to perform better in neutralising prothrombin activation activity than neutralising Factor X activation activity. Thus, the data reveal new information regarding the evolutionary selection pressures shaping snake venom evolution, while also having significant implications for the treatment of the envenomed patient. These results are, therefore, an intersection between evolutionary biology and clinical medicine.

Factor X Activation by washed human platelets

1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
E van Wijk ◽  
L Kahlé ◽  
J ten Cate
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Trypsin Inhibitor ◽  
Calcium Ions ◽  
Factor Xa ◽  
Human Platelets ◽  
Soybean Trypsin Inhibitor ◽  
Thrombin Inhibitor ◽  
Chromogenic Substrate ◽  
Factor X ◽  
Factor X Activation

In a system of washed human platelets, Ca2+and purified human factors X anc II, a sufficient amount of thrombin is generated in about 10 minutes to aggregate the platelets. This thrombin is formed through the activation of FX by the platelets. In a system with either FX or FII present, no aggregation occurs. In addition no aggregation is observed when hirudin, a specific thrombin inhibitor, or when soybean trypsin inhibitor, which inhibits factor Xa, are added to the mixture. The formation of factor Xa can be monitored indirectly through the generation of thrombin, in the presence of an excess of prothrombin, using a thrombin sensitive chromogenic substrate. When washed platelets are incubated with FX alone for 10 minutes, no aggregation occurs and after the addition of prothrombin aggregation starts within 6 minutes. These findings confirm that washed platelets possess a factor X activating property. The generation of FXa proceeds in the absence of added Ca2+, whereas in the presence of Ca2+factor Xa activity reaches a maximum in 3 minutes, whereafter the activity progressively decreases. This may be due to the binding of Xa to the platelets in the presence of calcium ions.

scholarly journals Pan-American Lancehead Pit-Vipers: Coagulotoxic Venom Effects and Antivenom Neutralisation of Bothrops asper and B. atrox Geographical Variants

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Lachlan A. Bourke ◽  
Christina N. Zdenek ◽  
Edgar Neri-Castro ◽  
Melisa Bénard-Valle ◽  
Alejandro Alagón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Factor X ◽  
Clotting Factors ◽  
Bothrops Asper ◽  
Species Specific

The toxin composition of snake venoms and, thus, their functional activity, can vary between and within species. Intraspecific venom variation across a species’ geographic range is a major concern for antivenom treatment of envenomations, particularly for countries like French Guiana that lack a locally produced antivenom. Bothrops asper and Bothrops atrox are the most medically significant species of snakes in Latin America, both producing a variety of clinical manifestations, including systemic bleeding. These pathophysiological actions are due to the activation by the venom of the blood clotting factors Factor X and prothrombin, thereby causing severe consumptive coagulopathy. Both species are extremely wide-ranging, and previous studies have shown their venoms to exhibit regional venom variation. In this study, we investigate the differential coagulotoxic effects on human plasma of six venoms (four B. asper and two B. atrox samples) from different geographic locations, spanning from Mexico to Peru. We assessed how the venom variation of these venom samples affects neutralisation by five regionally available antivenoms: Antivipmyn, Antivipmyn-Tri, PoliVal-ICP, Bothrofav, and Soro Antibotrópico (SAB). The results revealed both inter- and intraspecific variations in the clotting activity of the venoms. These variations in turn resulted in significant variation in antivenom efficacy against the coagulotoxic effects of these venoms. Due to variations in the venoms used in the antivenom production process, antivenoms differed in their species-specific or geographical neutralisation capacity. Some antivenoms (PoliVal-ICP, Bothrofav, and SAB) showed species-specific patterns of neutralisation, while another antivenom (Antivipmyn) showed geographic-specific patterns of neutralisation. This study adds to current knowledge of Bothrops venoms and also illustrates the importance of considering evolutionary biology when developing antivenoms. Therefore, these results have tangible, real-world implications by aiding evidence-based design of antivenoms for treatment of the envenomed patient. We stress that these in vitro studies must be backed by future in vivo studies and clinical trials before therapeutic guidelines are issued regarding specific antivenom use in a clinical setting.

scholarly journals A soluble tissue factor-annexin V chimeric protein has both procoagulant and anticoagulant properties

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 980-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Huang ◽  
Wei-Qun Ding ◽  
Joshua L. Vaught ◽  
Roman F. Wolf ◽  
James H. Morrissey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Factor ◽  
Blood Coagulation ◽  
Vascular Injury ◽  
Factor Viia ◽  
Chimeric Protein ◽  
Annexin V ◽  
Factor X ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Finite Period ◽  
Factor X Activation

AbstractTissue factor (TF) initiates blood coagulation, but its expression in the vascular space requires a finite period of time. We hypothesized that targeting exogenous tissue factor to sites of vascular injury could lead to accelerated hemostasis. Since phosphatidylserine (PS) is exposed on activated cells at sites of vascular injury, we cloned the cDNA for a chimeric protein consisting of the extracellular domain of TF (called soluble TF or sTF) and annexin V, a human PS-binding protein. Both the sTF and annexin V domains had ligand-binding activities consistent with their native counterparts, and the chimera accelerated factor X activation by factor VIIa. The chimera exhibited biphasic effects upon blood coagulation. At low concentrations it accelerated blood coagulation, while at higher concentrations it acted as an anticoagulant. The chimera accelerated coagulation in the presence of either unfractionated or low-molecular-weight heparins more potently than factor VIIa and shortened the bleeding time of mice treated with enoxaparin. The sTF-annexin V chimera is a targeted procoagulant protein that may be useful in accelerating thrombin generation where PS is exposed to the vasculature, such as may occur at sites of vascular injury or within the vasculature of tumors.

scholarly journals The anticoagulant mechanism of action of heparin in contact-activated plasma: inhibition of factor X activation

Blood ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 1226-1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
TB McNeely ◽  
MJ Griffith
Keyword(s):  
Antithrombin Iii ◽  
Factor Xa ◽  
Coagulation Factors ◽  
Factor Ix ◽  
Factor X ◽  
Clotting Time ◽  
Intrinsic Pathway ◽  
Blood Coagulation Factors ◽  
Factor Ixa ◽  
Factor X Activation

Abstract The effects of heparin on the activation of blood coagulation factors IX and X in contact-activated plasma were determined in the present study. In the presence and absence of 0.5 U/mL heparin, the amounts of factor IX that were cleaved 30 minutes after the addition of calcium and phospholipid to plasma exposed to glass (ie, contact activated) were essentially identical. In the absence of heparin, however, the plasma clotting time was between three and four minutes, while in the presence of heparin, the clotting time was approximately 40 minutes. More factor IXa was inhibited by antithrombin III in the presence of heparin than in its absence, but factor IXa levels sufficient for factor X activation appeared to be present in the heparinized plasma. Neither an increase in factor Xa nor a decrease in factor X was detected, however, in heparinized plasma. We conclude that the step in the intrinsic pathway of coagulation that is inhibited in the presence of heparin is at the level of factor X activation.

scholarly journals Thrombocytin, A Novel Platelet Activating Enzyme from Bothrops Atrox (MARAJOENSIS) Venom

1977 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Niewiarowski ◽  
E.P. Kirby ◽  
G.J. Stewart ◽  
R. Turna ◽  
M. Wiedeman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Rich Plasma ◽  
Human Platelets ◽  
Activate Factor ◽  
Factor X ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Platelet Factor ◽  
Small Vessels ◽  
Platelet Aggregates ◽  
Bothrops Atrox ◽  
Induced Aggregation

Thrombocytin (TCN) was purified from Bothrops atrox (BA) venom by precipitation with 1.2% Na-salicylate and chromatography on heparin-agarose column using increasing concentrations of lysine as eluent. It was homogeneous on SDS electrophoresis and had an apparent MW of 36,000. Immunoelectrophoresis with polyvalent anti-BA venom serum gave one cathodic arc indicating an isoelectric point higher than pH 8.6.TCN at a concentration of 1 yg/ml caused aggregation of human platelets, release of low affinity platelet factor 4 and serotonin, and stimulated platelets to retract fibrin.TCN was essentially free of fibrinogen clotting and fibrinolytic activities.TCN action on platelets was not mediated by the formation of thrombin since TCN did not activate Factor X or prothrombin and its action was not inhibited by hirudin.TCN is a serine protease since it was inhibited by DFP and it hydrolyzed a synthetic peptide, chromozyme UK (BZ-Val-Gly-Arg-pNA·HCl).TCN-induced aggregation of human platelets was completely inhibited by soy bean trypsin inhibitor, heparin, prostaglandin E1 and apyrase. Washed human platelets were 2-4 times less sensitive to TCN as compared to platelets in freshly prepared platelet rich plasma (PRP); their sensitivity to TCN gradually deteriorated during incubation of PRP at room temperature for 3 hours. Electron microscopic observations revealed formation of platelet aggregates characterized by pseudopod formation, centralization and partial loss of platelet granules. Infusion of TCN (3 yg) into the main artery of bat wing resulted in the formation of platelet aggregates seen on arterial and venous side which occasionally occluded small vessels.

scholarly journals Activated factor XI increases the procoagulant activity of the extrinsic pathway by inactivating tissue factor pathway inhibitor

Blood ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 125 (9) ◽  
pp. 1488-1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Puy ◽  
Erik I. Tucker ◽  
Anton Matafonov ◽  
Qiufang Cheng ◽  
Keith D. Zientek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Tissue Factor ◽  
Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor ◽  
Factor X ◽  
Factor Xi ◽  
Extrinsic Pathway ◽  
Fibrin Formation ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Tissue Factor Pathway ◽  
Factor X Activation

Key Points Activated factor XI binds and proteolyzes tissue factor pathway inhibitor. Activated factor XI promotes factor X activation generation and fibrin formation through the inactivation of tissue factor pathway inhibitor from platelets and on endothelial cells.

scholarly journals Factor VIIa-catalyzed activation of factor X independent of tissue factor: its possible significance for control of hemophilic bleeding by infused factor VIIa

Blood ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1069-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
LV Rao ◽  
SI Rapaport
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Factor ◽  
Factor Viia ◽  
Activate Factor ◽  
Factor X ◽  
Extrinsic Pathway ◽  
Hemophilic Patient ◽  
Factor X Activation ◽  
Rate Of Activation

Abstract Infusing factor VIIa (FVIIa) has been reported to control bleeding in hemophilic patients with factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors. This is difficult to attribute to an enhanced FVIIa/tissue factor (TF) activation of factor X, since in vitro studies suggest that infusion of FVIIa should neither increase substantially the rate of formation of FVIIa/TF complexes during hemostasis (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 85:6687, 1988) nor bypass the dampening of TF-dependent coagulation by the extrinsic pathway inhibitor (EPI) (Blood 73:359, 1989). Partial thromboplastin times have also been reported to shorten after infusion of FVIIa. The experiments reported herein establish that shortening of partial thromboplastin times after adding FVIIa to hemophilic plasma in vitro stems from an FVIIa-catalyzed activation of factor X independent of possible trace contamination of reagents with TF. Experiments in purified systems confirmed that FVIIa can slowly activate factor X in a reaction mixture containing Ca2+ and phospholipid but no source of TF. The rate of activation was sufficient to account for the shortening of partial thromboplastin times observed. EPI, which turned off continuing FVIIa/TF activation of factor X, was unable to prevent continuing FVIIa/phospholipid activation of factor X. Because circulating plasma contains only a trace, if any, free FVIIa, such a reaction could never occur physiologically. However, infusing FVIIa creates a nonphysiologic circumstance in which a continuing slow FVIIa/phospholipid catalyzed activation of factor X could conceivably proceed in vivo unimpeded by EPI. Such a mechanism of factor X activation might compensate for an impaired factor IXa/FVIIIa/phospholipid activation of factor X during hemostatis, and therefore control bleeding in a hemophilic patient.

scholarly journals Activated clotting factors in factor IX concentrates

Blood ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 1028-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
MB Hultin
Keyword(s):  
Antithrombin Iii ◽  
Initial Rate ◽  
Factor Xa ◽  
Factor Ix ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Factor X ◽  
Clotting Factors ◽  
Factor Ixa ◽  
Human Factor Ix ◽  
Factor X Activation

Abstract The precise quantitation of activated factors in human factor IX concentrates has been accomplished with the use of recently developed, specific assays for factors IXa, Xa, and thrombin. The assay for factor IXa, which measures the initial rate of 3H-factor-X activation, was shown to be specific for factor IXa in the concentrates. Activated factor IX concentrates contained 1.0–2.3 microgram/ml of factor IXa; whereas the assays of unactivated concentrates were negative (less than 0.2 microgram/ml). The assays of factor Xa and thrombin, which measure the initial rate of p-nitroaniline release from S-2222 and S-2238, respectively, showed similar small amounts of factor Xa (4–34 ng/ml) and thrombin (12–76 ng/ml) in the activated and unactivated concentrates. The nonactivated partial thromboplastin time of the concentrates correlated significantly with the factor IXa content, but not with factor Xa or thrombin. Antithrombin III antigen in 3 of 4 concentrates was several-fold higher than antithrombin III activity, suggesting the presence of antithrombin III complexed with activated factors. These results support the hypothesis that the degree of activation of factor IX concentrates is related primarily to the concentration of factor IXa, which may be responsible for the thrombogenicity of these concentrates in some clinical settings.

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