Studies on Sea-Snake Venoms

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Abstract
Crude venom preparations obtained by drying the contents of paratid glands of sea snakes, Laticauda semifasciata (Reinwardt) and Laticauda laticaudata (Linnaeus), showed strong neurotoxic activity. One hundred pergram percent lethal dose to mice by intramuscular injection was 0.5 μg. and 0.3μg. per gram body weight of mouse for L. semifasciata and L. laticaudata, respectively. The toxic component in L. semifasciata venom was non-dialyzable. It was stable when dialyzed against saline, but was inactivated when dialyzed against water. The toxic component in L. semifasciata venom was completely inactivated by heating at 100°C for 15 minutes. The toxic component in L. semifasciata venom was inactivated by the treatment with Pronase [EC 3.4.4 group] and trypsin [EC 3.4.4.4] but not with chymotrypsin [EC 3.4.4.5.]. The toxic components on L. semifasciata and L. laticaudata venoms moved toward the cathode on electrophoresis at pH 8.8 and 10.7 as single peaks. At pH 11.8–12, they stayed at the original point. The toxic components of the venoms of both species moved a little more slowely than yeast cytochrome c on gel-filtration with Sephadex G-75.

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