Nanostructures as robust multimodal anti-Bothrops snake envenoming agents

Abstract

Snake envenoming is a partly solved threat that constitutes a major concern for the public health of tropical and subtropical countries. Antisera based in polyclonal heterologous antibodies save the victims’ life, but often are not efficient enough to avoid the amputation of the affected limbs. In this strategic approach we propose to complement the site-specific activity of the antisera by co administering special nanovesicles capable of adsorbing and thereby reducing the enzymatic activities responsible for neurotoxicity, pain, haemolysis, and fundamentally severe inflammation and myonecrosis, that end up in limbs ‘amputation.