*Maina Isa Muhammad, Yahaya Tijani, Bulama Burah, Ali Mohammed Alkali, Abba Kura Shettima and Hassan Zanna
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria
*Corresponding author’s Email: mainaisahmuhammad@gmail.com, doi.org/10.55639/607.020100107
ABSTRACT
Phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) enzymes are important toxic components of many snake venoms and play a significant role in venom-induced tissue damage and inflammation. Understanding the biochemical properties of these enzymes may contribute to the development of improved therapeutic strategies for snakebite envenomation. This study investigated the phospholipase A₂ activities of Echis ocellatus and Bitis arietans venoms and evaluated the inhibitory potential of aqueous bark extract of Boswellia dalzielii. Enzyme activity was determined using a spectrophotometric assay with phosphatidylcholine as substrate. The effects of pH and temperature on PLA₂ activity were also evaluated, and kinetic parameters were determined using Lineweaver–Burk analysis. The optimum pH for PLA₂ activity in both venoms was 7.0, while the optimum temperature was 45 °C for Echis ocellatus and 40 °C for Bitis arietans. The extract exhibited inhibitory activity against PLA₂ with IC₅₀ values of 1.58 µg/ml and 1.52 µgml for Echis ocellatus and Bitis arietans, respectively. Kinetic analysis suggested mixed inhibition for Bitis arietans venom and uncompetitive inhibition for Echis ocellatus venom. These findings indicate that Boswellia dalzielii extract contains bioactive compounds capable of inhibiting venom PLA₂ activity. However, further studies including phytochemical characterization and in vivo validation are required to confirm its therapeutic potential.
KEYWORDS
Phospholipase A2,
Boswellia dalzielii,
Bitis arietans,
Echis ocellatus.
.

