Limnoperna fortunei, an Asiatic rivers bivalve has become a worldwide problematic invasive species causing several water quality and macrofouling problems. In the Neotropical region it was first recorded in 1991 in the Rio de la Plata coast, Buenos Aires province. Since this, it showed a quick upstream invasion into the principals aquatic systems of the Plata Basin. Nevertheless, there is not a...

We use phylogenetic analysis of 1333 bp of mitochondrial DNA sequence to investigate the phylogeny and historical biogeography of the cobra-like elapid snakes, with special reference to the evolution of spitting and the phylogeography of the African spitting cobras, a radiation widespread in open vegetational formations throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Our results suggest that spitting adaptation...

The chemical and biological properties of the nerve growth factor isolated from Naja naja venom are described. The nerve growth promoting activity appears to be distinct from the most commonly known enzymes and toxins present in the venom. The purified nerve growth factor from cobra venom has properties remarkably similar to those of the nerve growth factor isolated from mouse submaxillary glan...

Naja ashei is an African spitting cobra species closely related to N. mossambica and N. nigricollis. It is known that the venom of N. ashei, like that of other African spitting cobras, mainly has cytotoxic effects, however data about its specific protein composition are not yet available. Thus, an attempt was made to determine the venom proteome of N. ashei with the use of 2-D electrophoresis a...

BACKGROUND Naja naja atra venom (NNAV) displays diverse pharmacological actions including analgesia, anti-inflammation and immune regulation.In this study, we investigated the effects of NNAV on pulmonary fibrosis and its mechanisms of action. METHODS To determine if Naja naja atra venom (NNAV) can produce beneficial effects on pulmonary fibrosis, two marine models of pulmonary fibrosis were ...

We use a combination of phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequences and multivariate morphometrics to investigate the phylogeography and systematics of the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) species complex. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial haplotypes reveals a highly distinct clade of haplotypes from the Sudano–Sahelian savanna belt of West Africa, and that the haplotypes of Naja haje arabica form ...

Snake venoms are known to cause different metabolic disorders, altering cellular and enzymatic activities in animals and releasing pharmacological substances. The objective of this study is to explore the effect of the lethal dose of Indian cobra (Naja naja) venom snake on the lung tissue of albino rats. The rats were divided into three groups, the first group served as a control group, while t...

The neurotoxin secreted by Indian cobra (Naja naja) binds to acetylcholine receptor of nerve cells, which leads to a lump in the nerve impulse, ceases breathing, thereby causing the death of a person due to suffocation. These neurotoxins are small peptide with approximately 7 kDa. Homology modeling was performed to generate the 3D structure of neurotoxins (A, B, C and D) of N. naja, using the k...

Two toxins have been isolated from the venom of the Forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca) and their amino acid sequences elucidated. Toxin b, a 71 amino acid residue molecule, is devoid of methionine and resembles toxin (x from Naja nivea venom both immunochemically and in amino acid sequence. Toxin d consists of 61 amino acid residues with alanine, phenylalanine, and leucine totally absent. Toxin d ...