Production of antivenom against detoxified taipoxin and immunochemical analysis of the α, β and γ subunits

Taipoxin from the Australian taipan Oxyuranus s. scutellatus , was detoxified by reaction with p -bromophenacyl bromide and used for preparing antibodies in rabbits. Of its three subunits only the basic α-chain and the acidic γ-chain evoked antibody production, which may suggest that the neutral β-subunit is hidden in the complex. The antibodies did not cross-react with notexin from Notechis s. scutatus nor did taipoxin cross-react with antivenom against Bungarus multicinctus , in accordance with previous findings. Immunochemical studies show a strong interaction between α and γ, whereas α-β- and β-γ-interactions are weak. In animal experiments no protection was observed when antibodies (in excess) were injected i.v. 5 min after taipoxin. This confirms the irreversibility of the attack, perhaps enzymatic (phospholipase), on vital structures in the nerve terminal membranes and emphasizes the urgency of speedy antisera injections in cases of snake-bite in Australia. The modification with p -bromophenacyl bromide ought to be generally useful in the production of high-titre antibodies against snake venoms in a short time and with no ill effects in the antisera-producing animals.