Batroxobin is a serine protease

Serine protease

Serine proteases are enzymes that cleave peptide bonds in proteins, in which serine serves as the nucleophilic amino acid at the active site.They are found ubiquitously in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes...

 derived from the venom

Venom

Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...

 of Bothrops atrox

Bothrops atrox

Bothrops atrox is a venomous pitviper species found in the tropical lowlands of northern South America east of the Andes. No subspecies are currently recognized.-Description:...

. Its molecular weight is approximately 43,000 g/mol⁻¹.

This thrombin-like proteolytic enzyme splits the 16 Arg-17 Gly bond in the A(alpha)-chain of fibrinogen

Fibrinogen

Fibrinogen is a soluble plasma glycoprotein, synthesised by the liver, that is converted by thrombin into fibrin during blood coagulation. This is achieved through processes in the coagulation cascade that activate the zymogen prothrombin to the serine protease thrombin, which is responsible for...

, releasing fibrinopeptide A and leading to the clot formation through aggregation of formed of fibrin I monomer or Des-AA-monomer.. In contrast to other anti-coagulants, it does not affect the functions of platelets. Hence, Batroxobin is used to determine fibrinogen in plasma, to measure a 'batroxobin clotting time' as a heparin-insensitive parallel to the thrombin time, to investigate dysfibrinogenemia, and to test the contractile system of platelets