Biotechnological potential of Phospholipase D for Loxosceles antivenom development

DE ROODT, ADOLFO RAFAEL; CASCONE, OSVALDO; FINGERMANN, MATÍAS; MIRANDA, MARÍA VICTORIA

Toxicon: X

Elsevier

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2020 vol. 6 p. 100036 - 100036

2590-1710

Loxoscelism is one of the most important forms of araneism in South America. The Health Authorities from countries with the highest incidence and longer history in registering loxoscelism cases indicate that specific antivenom should be administered during the first hours after the accident, especially in the presence or at risk of the most severe clinical outcome. Current antivenoms are based on immunoglobulins or their fragments, ob-tained from  plasma of  hyperimmunized horses. Antivenom has  been  produced using the  same traditional techniques for more than 120 years. Although the whole composition of the spider venom remains unknown, the discovery and biotechnological production of the phospholipase D enzymes represented a milestone for the knowledge of the physiopathology of envenomation and for the introduction of new innovative tools in anti-venom production. The fact that this protein is a principal toxin of the venom opens the possibility of replacing the use of whole venom as an immunogen, an attractive alternative considering the laborious techniques and low yields associated with venom extraction. This challenge warrants technological innovation to facilitate pro-duction and obtain more effective antidotes. In this review, we compile the reported studies, examining the advances in  the  expression and  application of  phospholipase D  as  a  new  immunogen and  how  the  new biotechnological tools have introduced some degree of innovation in this field.