Citation

Marcussi S, Santos PR, Menaldo DL, Silveira LB, Santos-Filho NA, Mazzi MV, da Silva SL, Stábeli RG, Antunes LM, Soares AM. Mutat. Res. 2011; 724(1-2): 59-63.

Affiliation

Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, FCFRP-USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal de Lavras, UFLA, Lavras, MG, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.mrgentox.2011.06.004

PMID

21723956

Abstract

In the present study, experiments were carried out to evaluate the mutagenic potential and genotoxic effects of Crotalus durissus terrificus snake venom and its isolated toxins on human lymphocytes, using the micronucleus and comet assays. Significant damage to DNA was observed for crotoxin and crotapotin (CA). Basic phospholipase A(2) (CB) and crotamine did not present any mutagenic potential when evaluated by the micronucleus test. C. d. terrificus crude venom was able to induce the formation of micronuclei, similarly to the mutagenic drug used as a positive control. In the comet assay, all the toxins tested (crotamine, crotoxin, CB and CA) and C. d. terrificus venom presented genotoxic activity. Studies on the cytogenetic toxicology of animal venoms and their isolated proteins are still very scarce in the literature, which emphasizes the importance of the present work for the identification and characterization of potential therapeutic agents, as well as for the better understanding of the mechanisms of action of toxins on the human body.

Language: en