What are the effects and functions of white flower snake

Many friends' first reaction when they hear the word snake is fear. In fact, snakes are also a very good Chinese medicinal material. Snakes are included in the ingredients of many Chinese medicines. There are also many varieties of snakes, and each snake has its unique effects. Among them, the white flower snake is a more common type of snake, and it is often used in traditional Chinese medicine. So what are the effects and functions of the white flower snake?

What are the effects of white flower snake?

Neuromuscular blocking effect. It is generally believed that the venom of the Bungarus serpentis has a peripheral curare-like effect. 1×10(-5)g of α-cyclotoxin or α-cyclotoxin acetate contained in the venom has a complete blocking effect on the isolated diaphragm nerve of rats in vitro. Alpha-cyclotoxin can also effectively block the response of frog rectus abdominis muscle to choline acetate (Ach). The neuromuscular blocking effect of α-cyclotoxin on the diaphragm of rat phrenia, digastric muscle of chicken cervical nerve and sartorius muscle of frog sciatic nerve is irreversible.

In a study on the neuromuscular blocking effects of 13 components of the venom of the Bungarus cobra, it was found that three of the components had no effect, four components had strong postsynaptic blocking effects, three components had strong postsynaptic blocking effects, and five components had presynaptic blocking effects. It has also been reported that 11 lethal protein components were isolated from the venom of the Bungarus cobra, nine of which were called α-bubotoxin, β-bubotoxin and toxins 7, 8, and 9A. 11-14; three of them (α-cyclotoxin, toxin 7 and 18) are postsynaptic curare neurotoxins, and the rest are presynaptic neurotoxins.

The mechanism of neuromuscular blocking was initially believed to be the inhibition of the release of Ach from nerve endings. Later, it was discovered that the beta neurotoxin in the venom of the Bungarus cobra, which can block presynaptic transmission in the diaphragm of rat phrenic nerve, when co-incubated with rat brain synaptosomes at 55 μg/ml, can reduce their ability to accumulate norepinephrine (NE), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), 5-HT and choline, while promoting the release of accumulated NE and GANA, indicating that this toxin mainly affects the storage of neurotransmitters. It has also been reported that five types of synaptic curare toxins (β1, β2, β3, β4 and β-ceruleotoxin) in the venom of the Bungarus cobra can cause a rapid decrease in the end plate potential, followed by a temporary increase and then a decrease until the release of the transmitter is completely eliminated. This effect is related to the phospholipase A activity of the toxin.

The above is an introduction to the effects and functions of white flower snake. Every part of the snake's body has certain medicinal effects. Although snakes are a relatively scary animal for many people, we should make good use of the medicinal value of snakes. Snakes also play a very important role in the medical field.