Objective:

Evaluate the inhibition of venoms from the snakes Bothrops alternatus and Bothrops moojeni by plant extracts from Jatropha curcas, Myrsine guianensis and Zanthoxylum monogynum in terms of coagulant, phospholipase and hemorrhagic activities.

Methods:

The plant extracts were obtained by lyophilization of leaves of Jatropha curca, Myrsine guianensis and Zanthoxylum monogynum. In vitro inhibition tests were performed with a positive control group (10 μg of crude venom), experimental groups receiving a mixture of the venom with each of the extracts at concentrations of 5 to 500 μg, and a negative control group (500 μg of extract). In vivo tests were performed with Balb/c mice (n = 4). The mice in the positive control group were injected only the venom (25 μg), the experimental groups received a mixture of the venom with each of the extracts at concentrations of 25 to 500 μg, and the negative control group received only extract (500 μg).

Results:

Jatropha curcas and Myrsine guianensis significantly inhibited phospholipase activity at a 1:0.5 (venom:extract) proportion. Coagulant and hemorrhagic activities were markedly inhibited at 1:1 and 1:5 proportions with Myrsine guianensis and Jatropha curcas, respectively. Phospholipase and coagulant activities were inhibited with Zanthoxylum monogynum at 1:5 and 1:10 proportions, respectively.

Conclusions:

The extracts analyzed inhibited the venoms from Bothrops alternatus and Bothrops moojeni due to the presence of molecules with possible antiophidic properties.

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