Influence of Vipera berus berus and Vipera berus nikolskii venom on protein-peptide profile in the liver, kidneys and small intestine of rats

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the effects of Vipera berus berus and Vipera berus nikolskii venom on protein homeostasis in rats’ liver, kidneys, and small intestine. The animals (a total of 65 albino non-linear male rats) were injected intraperitoneal with crude venom of V. berus berus (1.57 µg·g-1 of body weight) and V. berus nikolskii (0.97 µg·g-1 of body weight). The presence of active enzymes was evaluated by zymography. The level of low-molecular-weight substances was detected at 210, 254, 280 nm. The protein profile was analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; the molecular weight of peptides was estimated by size exclusion chromatography. It was found that snake venom caused disturbances in the protein homeostasis in all organs, manifested by a decrease in the total protein level and changes in the protein composition. An increase in the level of proteins with a molecular weight of less than 30 kDa was found, simultaneously with a decrease in the level of proteins with a molecular weight of more than 100 kDa. The accumulation of low-molecular-weight substances of various nature was also revealed. The administration of snake venom caused an increase in the activity of constitutive enzymes and the appearance of active enzymes that were not found in these organs under physiological conditions.