1. Crude venom preparations obtained by drying the contents of paratid glands of sea snakes,
Laticaztda semifasciata (Reinwardt) and
Laticauda laticaudata (Linnæus), showed strong neurotoxic activity. One hundred per-gram percent lethal dose to mice by intramus-cular injection was 0.5μg. and 0.3μg. per gram body weight of mouse for
L. semifasciata and
L. laticaudata, respectively.
2. The toxic component in
L. semifasciata venom was non-dialyzable. It was stable when dialyzed against saline, but was inacti-vated when dialyzed against water.
3. The toxic component in
L. semifcuciata venom was completely inactivated by heating at 100°C for 15 minutes.
4. The toxic component in
L. semifasciata venom was inactivated by the treatment with Pronase [EC 3. 4. 4 group] and trypsin [EC 3. 4. 4. 4] but not with chymotrypsin [EC 3. 4. 4. 5. ].
The toxic components on
L. semifasciata and
L. laticaudata venoms moved toward the cathode on electrophoresis at pH 8.8 and 10.7 as single peaks. At pH 11.8-12, they stayed at the original point.
6. The toxic components of the venoms of both species moved a little more slowely than yeast cytochrome
c on gel-filtration with Sephadex G-75.
The authors wish to express their thanks to Dr. S. Mishima of the University of Kagoshima for the cooperation in collecting the snakes, to Sankyo Phar-maceutical Co., for the gift of yeast cytochrome
c and to Dr. H. Ozawa of Toyo Rayon Co., for useful advice.
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