Environmental and biological significance of the action of viper poison on the homeostasis of mammals

Abstract

The article examines the ecological and biological significance of the action of animal poisons as an evolutionary adaptation that maximizes the adaptation of more than 250,000 species to the conditions of their habitat. It was found that animal poisons have a significant impact on the formation and course of various forms of connections in ecosystems, perform several ecological functions and are important biotic factors of the environment. The best-studied venomous animals have been found to be snakes, of over 3,800 different species, only a small number are highly venomous. The Viperidae family includes 101 species of poisonous snakes. In Europe, Vipera ammodytes, Vipera aspis, Vipera berus, Vipera latastei, Vipera seoanei and Vipera ursinii are the most dangerous species, their bites cause severe poisoning. In Ukraine, the genus Vipera is represented by the steppe viper (Vipera renardi (Cristoph, 1861)) and two subspecies of the common viper (Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758)) — Vipera berus berus and Nikolsky’s viper (Vipera berus nikolskii, Vedmederja Grubant et Rudaeva, 1986). The factors that affect the diversity of the composition of snake venom are given. It is noted that snake venoms are complex mixtures of proteins, peptides and low molecular weight substances, among which enzymes and non-enzymatic components are distinguished. The biological properties of snake venom depend significantly on the properties of its components, which have a wide range of effects on the general state of homeostasis of a living organism. A generalization of scientific data on the study of the chemical composition of the venom of Vipera renardi, Vipera berus nikolskii and Vipera berus berus and the effects of these venoms on the functioning of the mammalian body has been carried out. It was found that the venom of Vipera berus nikolskii is the most, and Vipera renardi — the least toxic for mammals (mice). The effect of Vipera berus nikolskii and Vipera berus berus venom on the proteolytic balance of individual organs of rats was evaluated. It is emphasized that viper venom toxins have a great, not yet fully developed potential in many scientific fields, therefore they deserve further practical research.