They tested the functioning of the blood vessel model with the venom of an Indian cobra, West-African carpet viper, many-banded krait, and Mozambique spitting cobra.
[Related: Snakebites can be deadly for dogs, but some simple precautions can save them.]
According to Bittenbinder, the team was surprised to see the varying ways that venoms affect the blood vessels. Some didn’t appear to affect any of the cells at all. Other venoms were capable of demolishing the “molecular glue” that keeps the cells attached to one another and their surroundings.
“Others just simply destroyed the cell membrane,” says Bittenbinder.
‘An amazing mixture’
In future studies, the team plans to try to neutralize the venom effect with antivenoms and new compounds. This will help determine if this same type of model can be used in studies on combatting snake bites.
“Snake venom is such an amazing mixture. It can be dangerously toxic and sometimes even deadly in some cases, but it can (and is already used) for the
