title: The biological properties of venoms from juvenile and adult taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) snakes.
abstract: 1. The biological properties of four venom pooled samples from adult taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) snakes and one pooled venom sample from six juvenile taipan snakes (11 months old) were compared. 2. The intravenous LD50 (median lethal dose), procoagulant activity and enzymatic activities of the juvenile venom were not significantly different from those of the adult venoms. 3. The juvenile and adult venoms exhibited similar polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic (PAGE) and SDS-PAGE patterns, indicating that they possessed a similar protein composition. 4. The results suggest that there is no significant age-dependency in the biological properties of taipan venom.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Armugam
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Mirtschin
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004546:Elapid Venoms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004798:Enzymes / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D013917:Thrombin / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004546:Elapid Venoms; D004798:Enzymes; D013917:Thrombin