Institute of Snake Venom and Snakebite, Southern Anhui Medical College

Institute of Snake Venom and Snakebite, Southern Anhui Medical College

Research Institute of Wuhu City, Anhui Province

The research on snake venom and snake wound of Southern Anhui Medical College started in the mid-1970s, and was a member of the Anhui Provincial Snake Wound Treatment Cooperation Group at that time. It is one of the earliest institutions to carry out basic and applied research on snake venom in China.

Chinese name

Institute of Snake Venom and Snakebite, Southern Anhui Medical College

place

Anhui Province

type

graduate school

object

Snake Poison and Snake Wound

Research achievements of the Institute

Introduction to the Institute

The research on snake venom and snake wound of Southern Anhui Medical College started in the mid-1970s, and was a member of the Anhui Provincial Snake Wound Treatment Cooperation Group at that time. In 1984, under the leadership of Professor Wen Shangwu, the director of the department of teaching and research of the original sick students, the Snake Poison and Snakebite Research Office was established, which is one of the earliest institutions to carry out basic and applied research on snake venom in China. In 2007, the Snake Poison and Snakebite Research Office was renamed the Snake Poison Research Institute of Southern Anhui Medical College, and the current director is Professor Zhang Genbao. In the past 30 years, the basic and applied research achievements of venomous snake toxins in southern Anhui have made important contributions to the prevention and control of snake injuries and the utilization of snake venom resources in China; The main venomous snakes in southern Anhui are Agkistrodon acutus (Agkistrodon acutus), Agkistrodon acutus, Cobra, Green Bamboo Leaf Snake, Chromium Iron Head and Bungarus multicinctus, especially Agkistrodon acutus, which seriously affects the health and life of mountain people. Studies have shown that these venomous snakes mainly produce blood circulation toxins and neurotoxins, which can cause patients to suffer from disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and secondary bleeding, shock, multiple organ failure and other serious consequences; Through a systematic study on the blood toxicology of the venom of Agkistrodon acutus (Agkistrodon acutus) in southern Anhui, it was found that the DIC associated with snakebite was one of the inherent signs of early poisoning, and was different from the DIC expressed in traditional views. Therefore, the concept of “DIC like” syndrome in patients bitten by Agkistrodon acutus was first proposed in China (1988), It was also recognized that thrombin like enzyme (TLE) and fibrinolytic enzyme (FE) contained in the venom of Agkistrodon acutus were the main causes of this “DIC like” (1992). This is of great significance to clarify the characteristics of blood changes in patients with Agkistrodon acutus, and also provides a theoretical basis for the application of specific antivenom to treat this complication. In the study on the mechanism of bleeding caused by Agkistrodon acutus venom, it was also found that this snake venom had an impact on the three major components of the hemostatic system (coagulation factors, platelets and blood vessel walls), of which the haemotoxin directly affected the permeability of capillaries. At the same time, it was learned that the serious bleeding caused by Agkistrodon acutus venom poisoning and the difficulty of swelling of injured limbs to subside were related to the blockage of lymphatic supplement of coagulation factors in the thoracic duct and the poor lymphatic flow rate. These basic and applied basic research achievements have played a key role in the long-term cooperation with Qimen Snakebite Research Institute in effectively formulating the treatment plan for venomous snakebite and ensuring the safety of snakebite patients, and have achieved significant social effects. The research achievements have successively won the Science and Technology Achievement Award of Anhui Province, the Science and Technology Progress Award of Anhui Province (1993), and the (A) level Science and Technology Achievement Collective Award of the Ministry of Health (1991); In 1989, it cooperated with Wuhan Institute of Biological Products to develop a monoclonal antibody against thrombin like enzyme of Agkistrodon acutus venom, which was the first success in China; In 1996, it jointly produced and developed thrombin products (YWYZZ 1996 No. 118004, patent CN1141951A) with the Institute of Biological Products and Drugs of Jinan Military Region.

research findings

In recent years, the laboratory has separated and purified a variety of bioactive substances from the crude venoms of Agkistrodon acutus, Agkistrodon halys and Cobra in southern Anhui, such as anti hypercoagulable state enzymes, protein C activators (PCA). Experimental studies have confirmed that these active ingredients can affect the coagulation process, affect platelet adhesion, aggregation and protect the function of vascular endothelial cells, and have high efficiency and low toxicity anticoagulation and thrombolytic effects, This is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of thrombotic diseases and the improvement of blood hypercoagulability; At the same time, it was also found that PCA from snake venom has the specific effect of killing K562 leukemia cells and inhibiting the metastasis of cancer cells. Its clinical application prospect is very broad. The research office has successively undertaken and completed many research projects, such as “Mechanism of DIC caused by Agkistrodon acutus venom”, “Research on the mechanism of bleeding caused by Agkistrodon acutus venom in animals”, “Diagnosis of snakebite and differential diagnosis of its snake family by enzyme labeling method”, funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, the Ministry of Health, the Department of Health and the Department of Education of Anhui Province; At present, the projects under development include: “Research on the Hemorrhagic Anticoagulant Protein of Agkistrodon acutus”, “Research on the Molecular Mechanism of the Effect of PCA from Agkistrodon halys Pallas Venom on Vascular Endothelial Function”, “Research on the Molecular Biology of PCA from Agkistrodon acutus Venom against Tumor Cells”, and Separation and Purification of the Nerve Analgesic Components from Cobra Venom.

The snake venom research institute of South Anhui Medical College has good basic conditions, complete research equipment, reasonable research team structure, and continuous progress in research methods and technical means. It is expected to make new achievements in scientific research, personnel training, etc. The snake venom resources in southern Anhui are very rich and precious. Snake venom pharmacy is a drug with intellectual property rights in China. The research results on the basis and application of snake venom and its components are of great significance to the development of the rich snake venom resources in southern Anhui and clinical application.