The toxicity study of individual snake venom fractions on selected laboratory in vitro biomodels

In the process of evolution, animal venoms acquired a wide variety of bioactive components are able to negatively affect basic biological functions in the victim\'s organism. Electrophoretic analysis of snake venom proteins creates a two-dimensional protein map, which in the first phase of the analysis enables the differentiation of selected proteins and the detection of differences among species. Mass spectrometry-based protein identification method (MALDI TOF/TOF) provides separation and identification of snake proteins, where identified fractions can be used for further experimental studies. The latest research confirmed snake venom inhibitory effect on the growth of tumour cells, promotion of nerve cell proliferation in vitro, coagulation inhibition factors, angiotensin convertase inhibition, and antibacterial effects of individual venom fractions and their analgesic effect. A significant part of the presented project will be monitoring the toxicity of residual proteins after the precipitation of snake venoms with their respective antivenoms within the species- and gender- specific individuals, which will clarify the low effect of antivenom in some snake species and thus increase the success of envenomation treatment. In an effort to further scientific knowledge, it is necessary to analyse the influence of individual snake venom components or residual fractions after precipitation with antivenoms in an in vitro model organisms, on selected chicken tissue cultures, and later at the cellular level. The use of tissue, cell cultures and chicken embryos in experiments with individual, snake venom fractions/residual fraction obtained after precipitation with antivenom represents a suitable biological model used for evaluating snake venom effects on living organisms. The use of these models is of far-reaching importance in developmental biology studies, and thus in pharmaceutical and toxicological research for developing disease-related assays for toxicology studies.