Proteomic analysis and immunoprofiling of Persian horned viper venom, Pseudocerastes persicus from central part of Iran.

Numerous species of venomous snakes of medical importance exist in Iran. Pseudocerastes persicus one of the medically important snake that is also called the Persian horned viper, has a geographical spread that extends to the east, southwest, and central areas of the country and is endemic across the wider region. As a result, this species is responsible for a significant number of snakebite occurrences.Venom from Pseudocerastes persicus found in the central province of Semnan was found to contain phospholipase A2 and L-amino acid oxidase activities, and high toxic potency. The venom was fractionated by reverse-phase HPLC and analyzed by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting and two-dimensional electrophoresis. Using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), a range of components were identified, consistent with the biochemical and toxicological properties of the venom: proteins identified from 2D electrophoresis and shotgun methods included metallo- and serine proteases, phospholipases, oxidases, and Kunitz trypsin inhibitors along with many other components at lower qualitative abundance. This study provides a more detailed understanding of the protein profile of Iranian P. persicus venom, which can be effective in the production of an effective antidote against it. The analysis of the resulting data shows that there is a wide range of proteins in the venom of the Iranian Persian horned viper. This informations can provide a better understanding of how venom is neutralized by polyclonal antivenom. Considering the wide presence of this snake and its related species in Iran and surrounding countries, knowing the venom protein profile of this family can be of great support to antivenom producers such as Razi Institute in the preparation of regional antivenoms.