Purification and characterization of depressor component of Agkistrodon acutus venom

A depressor component (DPC) was isolated from the snake venom of Agkistrodon acutus by means of chromatography of DEAE-Sephadex A-50, Sephadex G-75, and CM-Sephadex C-25. It appeared as a single band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The relative molecular mass (Mr) is 16 700 and the pl is 7.0. A marked fall of blood pressure in rabbits after iv DPC 0.5 mg/kg was observed. When the dose was increased to over l.2 mg/kg, DPC caused a rapid irreversible fall of blood pressure which eventually resulted in the death of rabbits. Neither the fibrinolytic, hemorthagic and hemolysis activities nor those of protease, phospholipase A, kininogenase, argine ester hydrolase. basic phosphomonoesterase and 5'-nucleotidase were discovered.