Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Captive Maintenance and Venom Extraction of Tityus serrulatus (Brazilian Yellow Scorpion) for Antivenom Production
Published on: October 6, 2023
Bothrojaracin, a Bothrops jararaca snake venom-derived (pro)thrombin inhibitor, as an anti-thrombotic molecule
Russolina B Zingali1, Marcos S Ferreira, Mariane Assafim
1Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. lzingali@bioqmed.ufrj.br
Abstract:
Bothrojaracin (BJC) is a selective and potent thrombin inhibitor (KD = 0.6 nM) which also binds to prothrombin on proexosite I (KD = 175 nM). Incubation of BJC with human or rat plasma produced a band that co-migrates with purified prothrombin-BJC complex. We further analyzed the in vivo anti-thrombotic effect of BJC on a venous thrombosis model in rats that combines stasis and hypercoagulability. The administration of 1 mg/kg (i.v.) doses of BJC decreased thrombus weight by approximately 95%. Evaluation of the in vivo effect of BJC in mice using a pulmonary thromboembolism model induced by thrombin showed that BJC protects 100% of mice from death. Altogether, our data show that BJC is a potent anti-thrombotic agent that could further help the development of new prothrombin-directed drugs.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care
Cross-reactivity
Antiplatelet Drugs: Prostaglandin Synthesis, P2Y12 and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors
Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, exemplified by the widely known aspirin, wield their power by irreversibly acetylating...
Directly Acting Muscle Relaxants: Dantrolene and Botulinum Toxin
The binding of dantrolene to the RYR1...
Anticoagulant Drugs: Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants
Warfarin, a prominent vitamin K antagonist family member, exerts its effect by inhibiting the enzyme VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1). By hindering this enzyme, warfarin...

