Author: K. Sharma, M. Sharma and G. Kumar

DOI: http://doi.org/10.31788/RJC.2026.1929623

Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) is one of the most medically important venomous snakes in India and is responsiblefor nearly 40% of mortality related to snakebites. The conventional approach for testing snake venomtoxicityrequires using animals, but animal research raises ethical concerns; therefore, alternatives have to be sought. Thestudy was conducted to examine the biochemical profile of Daboia russelii venom and to develop an in vitrocellular-based toxicity assay using Vero cells. The venom yielded a protein fraction of 22.6 mg with a recoveryof 90.4%. Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) disclosed several protein bands, and Reverse-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) uncovered about 13 peaks. Theincreased clotting time (20 minutes) at a dose of 2 µg indicated that the venom had a strong anticoagulant effect. The cytotoxicity data showed a decrease in viability of Vero cells in a dose-related manner with an IC50 valueof 42.39µg/ml. These results support the view that cell lines based on in vitro studies serve as a valuable, ethical optionto determine venom toxicity as part of the production of anti-venom or laboratory research of venompharmacology.

Keywords: Russel Viper (Daboia russelii); Vero Cell Lines; In Vitro Toxicity, Venom Toxicity, Cell-Based Assay