Ligation of the abdominal esophagus decreases scorpion toxin-induced gastric secretion in rats

PURPOSE: Scorpion toxin purified from Tityus serrulatus venom (Tx) induces an increase in volume, acidity and pepsin secretion in the gastric juice of rats. Ligation of oesophagus has been shown to reduce the acid gastric secretion in rats. The aim of this paper was to determine the influence of the esophageal ligation on gastric secretion induced by Tx in rats. METHODS: Forty-four male albino rats were given water ad libitum, but no food for 20 to 24 hours, anesthetized with urethane and the trachea and jugular vein cannulated. Cervical or abdominal esophageal ligation or sham-operations were performed before and after the injection of 0.25 mg/kg of scorpion toxin (fraction Tl) into the jugular vein. One hour later, the volume, acidity, pH and peptic activity of gastric juice were determined. RESULTS: The scorpion toxin induced an increase in gastric juice volume, acidity and pepsin output and a decrease in pH when injected into the vein of intact animals or in sham-operated animals. Cervical esophagus ligation did not interfere with the effects of toxin, however, ligation of the abdominal esophageal decreased the toxin effect on the rat stomach. CONCLUSION: Ligation of the abdominal esophagus decreases the gastric secretion induced by scorpion toxin.

The mouse as an experimental model for tityus serrulatus scorpion envenoming

The scorpion toxin induces a number of physiological parameters alterations, as disturbance of cardiac rhythm, heart failure, shock, pancreatic hypersecretion, abortion, respiratory arrhytmias and pulmonary edema. As the purification of the venom fractions is a laborious process, one alternative for this would be the utilization of small animals. We utilized in the o present study thity-six mice that received progressive doses of scorpion toxin TsTX), i.p. or i.v., and were observed for three hours or sacrificed, and the pulmonary alterations were determined by the lung-body index and by histological analysis of the lungs in order to determine if the mouse can be an esperimental model for scorpion envenomation. The data were analyzed by One Way analysis of variance with p<0,05 indicating significance. These experiments showed no differences in clinical signs of scorpion envenomation between mice and other mammalians, the effects were dose-dependent and the i.v. administration needed less quantity to produce the same changings. In the pulmonary histology we observed septal but not alveolar edema, and we presumed that these differences are due to species-specific variations.