Toxicological activities of snake venoms of the selected species

Questions regarding the application of animal toxins are placed at the forefront of contemporary medicine and research in pharmaceutical industry. The composition of snake venoms shows considerable interspecies differences and can vary within a single species. By modern proteomic analyses, it is possible to differentiate snake proteins among the species that were previously classified into the same taxonomic classification of species. Differences were found among the species by the electrophoresis analysing the proteins of snake venoms. Electrophoresis of proteins creates a two-dimensional protein map that enables to distinguish individual proteins. Furthermore, mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF/TOF) is another method which provides the separation and identification of snake proteins. The latest research in this area confirmed curative effects of snake venoms on tumorous cells and thus raise their usage in the cosmetics industry as well as in the development of new antidotes. It is therefore necessary to be familiar with the effects of individual components of snake venoms at the cellular level, on selected tissue cultures, and then on the model organisms. In particular, the venom application on the cell cultures and chicken embryos comprise easily accessible model for evaluation of snake venom toxicity, which has far-reaching significance in studies of developmental biology, as well as in pharmacological and toxicological studies.