Abstract Background Neurotoxicity is a common feature of elapid snake envenomation. There are limited studies on the toxicity of Naja nubiae venom, the Nubian spitting cobra, from north-east Africa. Methods We used the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle preparation to demonstrate the neurotoxic effect of N. nubiae venom and to compare it with the potent neurotoxic cobra Naja melanoleuca venom. Venoms were separated by successive reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) runs and the molecular mass of the neurotoxins was determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Results Both venoms caused time-dependent inhibition of nerve-mediated twitches with a t90 value of 22.2±1.9 min and 12.9±1.2 min for N. nubiae and N. melanoleuca venoms, respectively. Prior incubation of some commercial antivenom (EchiTab-Plus-ICP [Costa Rica], CSL, Parkville, Victoria, Australia) and snake venom antisera [India]) did not prevent the neurotoxic effect of N. nubiae venom. The chromatographic separation of N. nubiae and N. melanoleuca venoms followed by MALDI-TOF MS analysis revealed that short-chain α-neurotoxin accounted for 8.4% of N. nubiae and 14.8% of N. melanoleuca whole venoms. Conclusions N. nubiae venom, which was previously known as cytotoxic venom, exhibits considerable in vitro neurotoxic effects on chick nerve-muscle preparations that may have consequences for antivenom development in north-east Africa.

Huda Khalid

Maowia M Mukhtar

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE 发表有关热带医学各个方面的权威和有影响力的原创、同行评议文章和评论。

The Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene publishes authoritative and influential original, peer-reviewed articles and reviews on various aspects of tropical medicine.

《Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene》发表关于热带医学各个方面的权威性和影响力的原创、同行评审的文章和评论。

Category	Quartile
医学	4
医学, 热带医学	3
医学, 公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生	4

The neurotoxic effect of Naja nubiae (Serpentes: Elapidae) venom from Sudan

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