4. Discussion
Crotaline snake venoms contain abundant protein
components. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of the
venom of B. asper revealed more than 140 protein spots
(Saravia et al., 2001). However, the main pathophysiological
events associated with crotaline envenomations are
likely to depend on a limited number of components. The
identification of key toxic proteins in medically relevant
venoms is an important task which may pave the way for the
design of more specific and effective therapeutic tools thatwould complement antivenoms in neutralizing the action of
these toxins