Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Toxicon, 1989;27(6):689-95.
PMID: 2749765

Abstract

Some enzymatic activities and toxic properties of four samples of Ophiophagus hannah (king cobra) venom were investigated. There is little intraspecific variation in enzyme contents, protein composition and toxic properties of the venom. The venom does not exhibit hemolytic or edema-inducing activity but is characterized by an exceptionally high alkaline phosphomonoesterase activity. DEAE-Sephacel ion exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-75 gel filtration chromatography of the venom indicate that the major lethal toxins are the low mol.wt, non-enzymatic basic proteins. Venom fractions exhibiting high enzymatic activities apparently do not play an important role in the lethality in mice of Ophiophagus hannah venom.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.