Analgesic Potential of Low-molecular-weight Peptide Fractions from Central Asian Cobra (Naja Oxiana Eichwald) Venom
Abstract
Snake venom is a rich source of bioactive molecules and holds great promise for therapeutic use. These molecules can be divided into enzymes (peptides, proteins) and non-enzymatic substances. Each of them has its medicinal properties. The purpose of this work is to study the analgesic properties of the venom fractions of a cobra (N. Oxiana Eichwald) distributed in the territory of Central Asia. To achieve this goal, the venoms of cobra (S-1 to S-7) snake were separated into fractions using Superose-12 gel, respectively, using the chromatography method. Their purity and molecular weight were determined by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. Analgesic activities of the obtained fractions were studied, that is, pain relief induced in mice by the “hot plate” and “acetic acid-induced writhing” models was evaluated based on a comparison with the control and the modern painkiller ketoprofen (Ketonal®) drug. In this case, submolecular (6-7.5 kDa) polypeptide fractions (S-6 and S-7) of cobra venom showed high analgesic activity in standard pain models at 0.4 μg/kg. Our experiments showed that it was found that the fractions of the cobra venom fractions, mainly S-6 and S-7 fractions (molecular weight from 6 kDa to 7.5 kDa) have central and peripheral effects in the amount of 0.4 μg/kg, and are better compared to the ketoprofen (Ketonal®) drug and had an effect. These fractions can be considered good analgesic peptides. Further research on these promising components of cobra venom will allow them to be used as local raw materials for creating the basis of effective and safe medicinal preparations.