In this article which was published in Cell J, Vol 16, No 2, Summer 2014, on pages 111-116, the title of table 3 was published incorrectly as: "Sperms concentration, vitality, survival and morphology in Zanjani VIPER, (mean ± SD) ". The correct one is "Sperm motility rate in three different parts of vas deferns duct in Zanjani VIPER".

Objective: Zanjani VIPER (VIPERa albicornuta) is an endemic venomous snake in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran which is medically important due to its application for antivenin production in the laboratory. We need to produce this snake in captivity. This study was conducted to characterize mature male Zanjani VIPER and to evaluate its sperm reproductive parameters.Materials and Methods: This applied- descriptive study was conducted on twenty Zanjani VIPER samples collected from Ag Dag Mountain in East Azarbaijan Province, Iran, between September and October 2010. After the snakes were anesthetized and sacrificed humanly, their morphometric specifications and sperm reproductive parameters, including concentration, motility, vitality, morphology, and survival time, were measured.Results: Morphometric specifications and evaluation of sperms of the snake showed the following information: Zanjani male VIPER, body length of 73.65±4.35 cm, tail length of 5.465±0.48 cm, and mature snakes with testicular volumes of 0.61±0.81 ml (right) and of 0.46±0.17 ml (left). Our findings revealed average sperm concentration of 0.47±0.1´106 ml-1, motility of 49-55 %, vitality of 46.11±9.63 %, normal morphology of 61.71±5.3%, and survival time of 6±2 hours at the laboratory temperature. Statistical analyses were performed using Student’s t test for comparison of two values, and one-way ANOVA was applied where three values were compared.Conclusion: Results suggest that mature Zanjani male VIPER with mature sperms in its vas deferens is present in late summer and early autumn seasons in Bostanabad County, Iran.

The venom of the VIPER is very important in pharmaceutical usage, such as in the process of coagulation during medical care. This study aims to evaluate the coagulant factor of Latifi and Zanjani VIPER venom. In the current study, after electrophoresis of proteins found in VIPER venom, all of the thick and strong bands of proteins were isolated and prepared for examination of coagulation characteristics, like pro-thrombin time (PTT) and active partial thromboplastic time (APTT), followed by further study by mass spectroscopy. In this way, 11 bands of proteins were recognized in sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). After PT and APTT tests, one common band in 26 KDa could lead to coagulation of blood plasma in less than one second. Mass spectroscopy identified this band as serine protease isoform4. The results confirmed the coagulation effect of a 26 KDa protein fraction of venom from Latifi and Zanjani VIPERs.

Venomous snakebite is a life-threatening injury in many tropical and subtropical areas including Iran. The gold standard treatment option for human envenomation is the use of antivenoms. Despite the unique effects of horsederived antivenoms on the treatment of snakebite, they are not fully perfect and need improvements. In this study, human recombinant Fab fragment antivenom was produced in Rosetta-g bacterium using a gene library constructed in the previous study. The prepared Fab was purified in several steps, desalted, and lipopolysaccharide-depleted using ammonium sulfate solution and dialysis against phosphate buffer and Triton X-114 solution, respectively. Subsequently, the product was initially confirmed by the sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Finally, the neutralization potency of the product was investigated in laboratory Syrian Mice. The obtained results showed corresponding reduced bands to Fab fragment with the molecular weight of about 28 kDa at a concentration of 3. 1 mg/ml. There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of ELISA test (P<0. 05). The neutralization potency of the product against the venom of Echis carinatus (E. carinatus) was about 7 LD50/ml (54. 6 μ g/ml) when tested on mice. Based on the results, the Fab fragment antivenom had the ability to neutralize the in vivo biological activity of the venom of Iranian E. carinatus. However, further studies are recommended to reach a suitable concentration of antivenom fragment.