Proteomic analysis of
wound exudates represents a valuable tool to investigate tissue pathology and to assess the therapeutic success of various interventions. In this study, the ability of horse-derived
IgG and F(ab')(2)
antivenoms to neutralize local pathological effects induced by the
venom of the snake Bothrops asper in mouse muscle was investigated by the proteomic analysis of exudates collected in the vicinity of affected tissue. In experiments involving the incubation of
venom and
antivenom prior to injection in mice, hemorrhagic activity was completely abolished and local muscle-damaging activity was significantly reduced by the
antivenoms. In these conditions, the relative amounts of several intracellular and
extracellular matrix proteins were reduced by the action of
antivenoms, whereas the relative amounts of various
plasma proteins were not modified. Because not all intracellular
proteins were reduced, it is likely that there is a residual cytotoxicity not neutralized by
antivenoms. In experiments designed to more closely reproduce the actual circumstances of envenoming, that is, when
antivenom is administered after envenomation, the number of
proteins whose amounts in exudates were reduced by
antivenoms decreased, underscoring the difficulty in neutralizing local pathology due to the very rapid onset of
venom-induced pathology. In these experiments,
IgG antivenom was more efficient than F(ab')(2)
antivenom when administered after envenomation, probably as a consequence of differences in their pharmacokinetic profiles.