Anti-osteoarthritic activity of Bungarus fasciatus venom fraction BF-F47 involving molecular markers in the rats

• An active fraction, BF-F47 was purified from BFV by IEC-CM cellulose and HPLC.
• BF-F47 treatment significantly restored urinary parameters in rats.
• BF-F47 restored serum biochemical and pro-inflammatory markers.
• BF-F47 could prevent bone destruction associated with arthritis.

A heat stable protein BF-F47 was purified from the crude venom of Bungarus fasciatus by CM cellulose ion exchange chromatography and HPLC. Osteoarthritis (OA) was developed in male albino Wistar rats by collagenase injection. BF-F47 treatment significantly restored urinary hydroxyproline and glucosamine in OA rats. Serum acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and serum molecular markers TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-17, cytokine induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1, matrix metalloproteinase-1, cathepsin-K, osteocalcin and PGE2 were also significantly altered. BF-F47 showed partial restoration of osteoarthritis joints. Thus, BF-F47 induced anti-osteoarthritic activity in Wistar rats acted through molecular markers of arthritis and inflammation.