Identification and Characterization of Novel Anticoagulants from Bungarus fasciatus Venom

Abstract

Effective anticoagulation forms the basis in the prevention and treatment of pathologic thrombosis. However the standard anticoagulant drugs bear significant risks of adverse reactions in clinical usage. Thus, there is a tremendous demand for the development of novel anticoagulant agents. Snake venoms represent a prime source of novel drug leads for the development of new anticoagulants. In this study, we are particularly interested in the venom of the banded krait snake, Bungarus fasciatus. The aim of our study is to identify and characterize novel anticoagulants from this snake venom. Through activity-based fractionation, we have identified two novel anticoagulants from the venom: extrinsic tenase complex inhibitors and FXIa inhibitors. Both the inhibitors were then characterized in detail. The characterization of the extrinsic tenase complex inhibitors expanded existing catalogue of haemostatically active snake venom proteins, while the characterization of FXIa inhibitors supported the further development of them as novel anticoagulant candidates.