Dendroaspis polylepis

Strydom (1976) performed the purification of Dendroaspis polylepis polylepis (black mamba) venom, and found 12 low molecular weight proteins, of which 11 have subcutaneous LD50 values of less than 40 vg/g mouse. 

Jouhert, F.J., Taljaard, N. (1978). The complete primary stmcture and toxin C from Dendroaspis polylepis polylepis (black mamba) venom. S. Afr. J. Chem. 31 107-10. 

Strydom, D.J. (1976). Snake venom toxins. Purification and properties of low-molecular-weight polypeptides of Dendroaspis polylepis polylepis (black mamba) venom. Eur. J. Biochem. 69 169-76. 

Finally, venoms from different snakes from the Elapidae and Hydrophidae families also contain a cocktail of different paralytic toxins, some of which are selective for voltage-dependent Ca channels. For instance, the venom of the black mamba Dendroaspis polylepis polylepis contains a toxin termed calciseptine, which selectively blocks L-type Ca channels [6] and the venom from the green mamba D. agusticeps contains calcicludine, a toxin that acts as a potent blocker of most of the HVA Ca channels [7]. 

The CE/MS analysis of the venom of the snake Dendroaspis polylepis polylepis, the black mamba, is reported by Tomer and coworkers.A VG 12-250 quad-rupole equipped with a Vestec ESI source (coaxial sheath flow interface) was employed for this experiment. The sheath fluid was a 50 50 methanol 3% aqueous acetic acid solution. The CE voltage was set at -30 kV during the analysis and the ESI needle was held at -h3 kV. The CE running buffer used was 0.01 M acetic acid at pH 3.5. The APS column was flushed with buffer solution for 10 min prior to sample analysis. The snake venom was dissolved in water at a concentration of 1 mg/ml and 50 nl of the analyte solution was injected into the column. They demonstrated the existence of at least 70 proteins from this venom. 

The venom of the mamba snake (Dendroaspis angusticeps, Dendroaspis polylepis, Dendroaspis viridis, Dendroaspis jamesoni) contains a mixture of neurotoxic compounds, including postsynaptic cholinoreceptor a-neurotoxins, dendrotoxins, fasciculins, and muscarinic toxins (Hawgood and Bon, 1991). Effects at the NMJ include AChE inhibition by fasciculins and increased presynaptic release of ACh by dendrotoxins (polypeptides that facilitate ACh release in response to nerve stimulation) together with the high ACh content of mamba toxin (6-24 mg/g), these effects are synergistic and enhance neurotoxicity and lethality. Moreover, the venom may contain other components that have a synergistic action with dendrotoxin. 

Anticholinesterase-type neurotoxin has 57-60 amino acids in a single polypeptide chain, cross-linked by three disulfide bonds. The two-dimensional structure of fasciculin 2 from dendroaspis venom is shown in Fig. 15. Fasciculin 2 is identical with toxin F7 isolated by Viljoen and Botes (1973). Similarly, toxins C and D from D. polylepis polylepis venom... 

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