Characterization of Venom Components of Two Medically Important Scorpion Species, Hottentota tamulus (Fabricius, 1798) and Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897)

Scorpion venom is being used for many biomedical applications. In the present study, venom components of Hottentota tamulus (Fabricius, 1798) and Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897) were characterized. Venom was extracted using the electrical stimulation method and subjected to High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for characterization of its components from which dominant fractions were collected and dried in a concentrator. Crude venom and selected fractions were further analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to obtain mass fingerprint data. Over 100 components ranging from 3,000 – 8,000 m/z in molecular masses were detected in the venom of both scorpion species. Some of them were analogous to a short chain and long chain toxins, which act on potassium and sodium ion channels, respectively. The venom components may be used for the development of novel drugs, e.g. drugs for neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, analgesics and cancer.