The Infona portal uses cookies, i.e. strings of text saved by a browser on the user's device. The portal can access those files and use them to remember the user's data, such as their chosen settings (screen view, interface language, etc.), or their login data. By using the Infona portal the user accepts automatic saving and using this information for portal operation purposes. More information on the subject can be found in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By closing this window the user confirms that they have read the information on cookie usage, and they accept the privacy policy and the way cookies are used by the portal. You can change the cookie settings in your browser.
Honey badgers (Mellivora capensis) prey upon and survive bites from venomous snakes (Family: Elapidae), but the molecular basis of their venom resistance is unknown. The muscular nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAChR), targeted by snake α-neurotoxins, has evolved in some venom-resistant mammals to no longer bind these toxins. Through phylogenetic analysis of mammalian nAChR sequences, we show that...
Swainsonine (SW) is the principal toxic ingredient of locoweeds, which can cause intensive vacuolar degeneration because of α-mannosidase inhibition after animal ingestion. While SW can lead to obvious liver damage in vivo, the mechanism of hepatotoxic damage caused by SW is not clear. Therefore, BRL-3A cells were treated for 24, 48, and 72 h with SW at various concentrations (0, 700, 900, 1100 μg/mL)...
Scorpion venom consists of a complex mixture of molecules including biologically active compounds. Because of their high potency and selectivity, toxins have medical applicability. In the last decades, scorpion toxins have thus gained considerable interest among scientist in the fields of pharmacology, biophysics and neurobiology. Identification of scorpion venom peptides and toxins can be achieved...
Larkspurs (Delphinium spp.) are poisonous plants on rangelands throughout the Western United States and Canada. Larkspur-induced poisoning in cattle is due to norditerpene alkaloids that are represented by two main structural groups of norditerpene alkaloids, the N-(methylsuccinimido) anthranoyllycoctonine type (MSAL-type) and the non-MSAL type. Information on the alkaloid composition and resulting...
This communication describes the general characteristics of the venom from the Brazilian scorpion Tityus fasciolatus, which is an endemic species found in the central Brazil (States of Goiás and Minas Gerais), being responsible for sting accidents in this area. The soluble venom obtained from this scorpion is toxic to mice being the LD 50 is 2.984 mg/kg (subcutaneally). SDS-PAGE of the soluble...
Drug potency testing consumes many animals, botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) testing being perhaps the most notorious example. To avoid 50% lethal dose determination, the so-called digital abduction score (DAS) and other BoNT induced local paralysis assays were developed. This paper reveals that a simple mathematical expression — the Bateman's equation used in many pharmacokinetic data analyses — can describe...
Saxitoxin (STX) and neosaxitoxin (NEO) are potent neurotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). PSP typically occurs through the ingestion of bivalve shellfish that have consumed toxin producing dinoflagellates. Due to initial presentation of symptoms being nonspecific, a clinical measurement is needed to confirm exposure to these toxins. Our group has developed an online solid phase...
Several species of crabs are resistant to paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) and/or pufferfish toxin, tetrodotoxin, regardless of toxification by the toxins. The shore crab Thalamita crenata, which inhabits Leizhou Peninsula, China, is tolerant to PST toxicity, and the hemolymph has neutralizing effects against the lethal activity of PST. In the present study, we investigated the PST neutralizing factors...
The multidrug-resistant bacteria have become a serious problem to public health. In this scenery the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from animals and plants emerge as a novel therapeutic modality, substituting or in addition to the conventional antimicrobial. The anurans are one of the richest natural sources of AMPs. In this work several cycles of cDNA cloning of the skin of the Brazilian treefrog...
Until very recently, toxicity was not considered a trait observed in birds, but works published in the last two decades started to shed light on this subject. Poisonous birds are rare (or little studied), and comprise Pitohui and Ifrita birds from Papua New Guinea, the European quail, the Spoor-winged goose, the Hoopees, the North American Ruffed grouse, the Bronzewings, and the Red warbler. A hundred...
The need for homogenous reference materials stable for paralytic shellfish toxins is vital for the monitoring and quality assurance of these potent neurotoxins in shellfish. Two stabilisation techniques were investigated, heat treatment through autoclaving and the addition of preserving additives into the tissue matrix. Short and long-term stability experiments as well as homogeneity determination...
The venom proteome of the monocled cobra, Naja kaouthia, from Thailand, was characterized by RP-HPLC, SDS-PAGE, and MALDI-TOF-TOF analyses, yielding 38 different proteins that were either identified or assigned to families. Estimation of relative protein abundances revealed that venom is dominated by three-finger toxins (77.5%; including 24.3% cytotoxins and 53.2% neurotoxins) and phospholipases A...
This study utilised a proteomics approach to identify any differential protein expression in a glial cell line, rat olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), treated with the cyanotoxin β-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA). Five proteins of interest were identified, namely Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitor 1 (RhoGDP1), Nck-associated protein 1 (NCKAP1), voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 1 (VDAC1),...
The bivalve mollusc, Crassostrea virginica, is frequently exposed to blooms of Karenia brevis along the west coast of Florida during periods of spawning and early larval development. A continuous 4-day exposure of gametes and 2–4 cell stage embryos of C. virginica to whole-cell and culture filtrate of K. brevis at 500 and 5000 cells mL −1 , was followed by a 4-day ‘recovery’ period. Larval...
Patulin (PAT), a mycotoxin contaminant of apples and apple products, has been implicated in nephrotoxicity. PAT depletes glutathione (GSH) and elevates reactive oxygen species (ROS). The antioxidant (AO) response is activated by Nuclear erythroid 2-related factor (NRF2) and enhanced by Silent information regulator 3 (SIRT3). The effects of PAT on these molecules have yet to be examined. We investigated...
Toxalbumins are natural plant toxins purported to be highly toxic. The purpose was to evaluate toxalbumin exposures reported to U.S. poison centers to determine plants involved and their toxicities.A retrospective review of National Poison Data System data on acute toxalbumin exposures with known outcomes from 2000 through 2011 was performed.There were 1164 exposures. The majority involved one route...
Toxic Aspergillus westerdijkiae were present in house dust and indoor air fall-out from a residence and a kindergarten where the occupants suffered from building related ill health. The A. westerdijkiae isolates produced indole alkaloids avrainvillamide (445 Da) and its dimer stephacidin B (890 Da). It grew and sporulated in presence of high concentrations of boron or polyguanidine (PHMB, PHMG) based...
Development of novel analytical tools to detect marine biotoxins has been warranted in view of the apparent global pervasiveness of algal-derived shellfish poisoning, and the limitations of existing methods. Here, we describe the initial phase in the development and evaluation of a tyrosine-containing analog of μ-conotoxin (μ-CTX) GIIIA as an alternative to saxitoxin (STX) in a receptor binding assay...
Set the date range to filter the displayed results. You can set a starting date, ending date or both. You can enter the dates manually or choose them from the calendar.