Chemistry of Venomous Snakes

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting NetworkChemistry ConnectionsChemistry of Snake VenomEpisode # 6 Segment 1: Introduction to Snake Venoms2 Main categories of venomous snakesElapids ElapidsAny of 300 species of venomous snakes (all venomous)Short, fixed fangs at the front of the JawLong, slender bodies with small headsMostly lay eggs, but a few do bear living young (largely only Australian species)Bite with a downward strike, and often chew prey to envenomateBite relatively painless, but can kill quickly through paralysis of heart and lung musclesCobra relativesTalk about fang structureGeneral characteristicsViperids (Vipers)Over 200 related speciesLong, hollow fangs that are folded back to the roof of the mouth until strikingSome species, known as pit vipers, have a temperature-sensing organ that allows them to hunt warm-blooded prey even when they cannot seeLarge venom glands lead to a more triangular or pear-shaped head Fang structure and general characteristics
Segment 2: The Chemistry Behind Snake Venoms

Have a natural transition into an example… no need to say “segment 2”

Provide detailed explanations of the chemistry that is related to your topic.

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Viperid and elapid venom mechanism of actionViperid - hemolytic and necroticHow and whySpecific example - Saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus)Affects blood circulation, causing severe tissue and organ damage.Certain proteins prevent

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting NetworkChemistry ConnectionsChemistry of Snake VenomEpisode # 6 Segment 1: Introduction to Snake Venoms2 Main categories of venomous snakesElapids ElapidsAny of 300 species of venomous snakes (all venomous)Short, fixed fangs at the front of the JawLong, slender bodies with small headsMostly lay eggs, but a few do bear living young (largely only Australian species)Bite with a downward strike, and often chew prey to envenomateBite relatively painless, but can kill quickly through paralysis of heart and lung musclesCobra relativesTalk about fang structureGeneral characteristicsViperids (Vipers)Over 200 related speciesLong, hollow fangs that are folded back to the roof of the mouth until strikingSome species, known as pit vipers, have a temperature-sensing organ that allows them to hunt warm-blooded prey even when they cannot seeLarge venom glands lead to a more triangular or pear-shaped head Fang structure and general characteristics
Segment 2: The Chemistry Behind Snake Venoms

Have a natural transition into an example… no need to say “segment 2”

Provide detailed explanations of the chemistry that is related to your topic.

Remember that you must have a minimum of 2 topics from ap chem that you can explain here as related to your episode

Viperid and elapid venom mechanism of actionViperid - hemolytic and necroticHow and whySpecific example - Saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus)Affects blood circulation, causing severe tissue and organ damage.Certain proteins prevent blood coagulation by preferentially binding to prothrombin, cleaving it into meizothrombin, which cannot be used along the typical clotting pathwayLeads to catastrophic internal bleeding and hemmorhage, which in turn leads to shock when too much blood has left the circulatory systemReversed with antivenomElapid - typically neurotoxicHow and whyDiscuss neurochemistry of neurotoxins, why toxin binds to receptorsGo in detail with one example - Inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus)LD50 of 0.025 mg/kg in mice, 0.01 mg/kg in bovine serumVenom primarily kills through neurotoxinsPresynaptic - paradoxinBlocks release of acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter responsible for muscle contractionDepolarizes the neuron, preventing the firing of action potentialsOne of the most potent, if not most potent, presynaptic neurotoxins known to man, but still largely unknown in functionBelieved to fuse ACh-containing vesicles to the presynaptic membrane, and prevent recycling of already-used vesiclesAffects the permeability of the phospholipid membrane through altering structure as it binds to the surface.Postsynaptic - oxylepitoxin 1, alpha oxytoxin 1, alpha-scutoxin 1Bind to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in muscles antagonistically, causing inhibition of the receptorPrevent the reception of a signal to moveTwo types of receptors, nicotinic and muscarinicNicotinic in central nervous system, muscarinic in peripheral nervous system and associated with autonomous nervous system and organsOnly treatment is to use a mechanical ventilator and administer carbachol
Segment 3: Personal ConnectionsI have always been interested in snakes, especially

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Sources:

List your sources here. Make sure they are linked. Wikipedia cannot count for more than 50% of your sources.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028390807000056 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17313963/

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "elapid". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Jun. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/animal/elapid . Accessed 24 May 2023. 

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "viper". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Apr. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/animal/viper-snake . Accessed 24 May 2023.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echis_carinatus#Venom 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16879898/ 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC310718/#:~:text=These%20potent%20toxins%20bind%20specifically,blocking%20the%20excitation%20of%20muscles. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/866568/ 

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