17 N. Akbar 2 A. Sajjad S. Rizwan H. M. Tahir Z. Mehmood K. Mehmood S. Munir S. A. Ali Rakhshanda A. Mushtaq Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences JAPS 20222022/01/07 32 1 247-255 1018-7081 https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2022.1.0420 <p>This is the first reported study conducted for partial characterization of venom from three scorpion species (<em>Odontobuthus odonturus</em>,&nbsp;<em>Androctonus finitimus</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Androctonus bicolor</em>), collected from different regions of Balochistan, Pakistan. The venom was extracted and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and results revealed the presence of different peptides ranged from 6 kDa to 121 kDa. Peptide bands of 68 kDa, 13 kDa and 6 kDa were found common in all the three venom samples, while peptide bands of 121 kDa, 44 kDa and 23 kDa were shared between&nbsp;<em>Androctonus finitimus</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Androctonus bicolor</em>, similarly 29 kDa of band was common in&nbsp;<em>Androctonus finitimus</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Odontobuthus odonturus</em>. Furthermore, each scorpion species had a minimum of one unique peptide band. The similar electrophoretic characteristics of some peptide components suggested inter-genus and inter-species relationships among different species. Conversely each sample of examined species also represents a distinctive profile that differentiates one species from another thus providing a simple tool for taxonomical studies.</p> scorpions; venom; venom extraction; protein; SDS-PAGE Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=Bioch-20-0029