title: Purification of the main beta-toxin from Tityus serrulatus scorpion venom using high-performance liquid chromatography.
abstract: The venom of the Brazilian scorpion Tityus serrulatus was fractionated using high-performance liquid chromatography which allowed us to purify in two steps the main beta-type toxin of the venom. The toxin constituted about 15% of the absorbance at 280 nm and 50% of the toxicity of the venom. According to its amino acid content, its electrophoretic migration on Phast-Gel homogenous 20 and its biological properties both in vivo by intracerebroventricular injection to the mouse (LD50 = 30 ng/kg mouse) and in vitro by competition receptor assay on rat brain synaptosomes (K0.5 = 80 pM), the toxin was identified as toxin Ts VII already purified from the same venom using low-pressure liquid chromatography (BECHIS et al., 1984 Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 122, 1146). The high-performance liquid chromatographic technique used improved by a factor of four the amount of toxin purified.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoir de Biochimie, U.R.A. 1455 du C.N.R.S., Faculté de Médecine Secteur Nord, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Céard
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: De Lima
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Bougis
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Martin-Eauclaire
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000737:chemistry*; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D012604:Scorpion Venoms; D014118:Toxins, Biological