A UHPLC-QTOF MS metabolomic approach to study snake venom

Venoms from animals consist of complex mixtures of bioactive molecules belonging to different chemical classes, such as proteins, lipids, polysaccharides, amino acids, alkaloids, among others [1]. Many studies have been investigated venoms [2]; however, most of them had focused on the protein portion (toxins), and a little attention has been paid to small organic constituents. The exploration of these complex mixtures can provide a better understanding of the inflammatory/immune response induced by exposure to the toxins and also open opportunities to discover new bioactive molecules. In this work, an untargeted metabolomics approach employing two different chromatographic separation mode, hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reverse phase (RP), coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry is proposed for polar and nonpolar metabolic profiling analysis of venom snake. Overall, the power of untargeted metabolomics to reveal novel biological information of venoms is demonstrated.