Pulsed ultrasound therapy accelerates the recovery of skeletal muscle damage induced by Bothrops jararacussu venom

We studied the effect of pulsed ultrasound therapy (UST) and antibothropic polyvalent antivenom (PAV) on the regeneration of mouse extensor digitorum longus muscle following damage by Bothrops jararacussu venom. Animals (Swiss male and female mice weighing 25.0 ± 5.0 g; 5 animals per group) received a perimuscular injection of venom (1 mg/kg) and treatment with UST was started 1 h later (1 min/day, 3 MHz, 0.3 W/cm², pulsed mode). Three and 28 days after injection, muscles were dissected and processed for light microscopy. The venom caused complete degeneration of muscle fibers. UST alone and combined with PAV (1.0 mL/kg) partially protected these fibers, whereas muscles receiving no treatment showed disorganized fascicules and fibers with reduced diameter. Treatment with UST and PAV decreased the effects of the venom on creatine kinase content and motor activity (approximately 75 and 48%, respectively). Sonication of the venom solution immediately before application decreased the in vivo and ex vivo myotoxic activities (approximately 60 and 50%, respectively). The present data show that UST counteracts some effects of B. jararacussu venom, causing structural and functional improvement of the regenerated muscle after venom injury.

Avaliação do efeito da crotoxina em animais portadores de encefalomielite autoimune experimental, um modelo de animais de esclerose múltipla / Evaluation of crotoxin effect in the experimental autoimune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis

A esclerose múltipla é uma doença inflamatória crônica, de origem autoimune, que acarreta diversas alterações motoras, cognitivas e sensitivas. Dentre as alterações sensitivas, a dor é um dos graves problemas que afetam pessoas portadoras desta doença, interferindo com diversos aspectos da vida do paciente. É importante ressaltar que a esclerose múltipla não tem cura, sendo que a terapêutica se concentra nas ações que retardam a progressão da doença e promovem o alívio dos sintomas, melhorando a qualidade da vida do paciente...

Multiple sclerosis is a Central Nervous System Inflamatory demyelinating disease that has as primary symptomps losses of sensory, cognitive and motor functions. Among the sensory alternations, pain is one of the major concern, afecting various aspects of the patients lives...

Heparin-antivenom association: differential neutralization effectiveness in Bothrops atrox and Bothrops erythromelas envenoming

Heparin, in some regions of Brazil has been used in the treatment of bothropic accidents, but the data found in the literature are inconclusive about its effectiveness. The venoms of Bothrops atrox and of B. erythromelas were characterized according to their biological activities. The capacity of heparin in neutralizing these activities was tested with doses of 3 and 6 IU in isolated form and associated to Antibothropic Serum (ABS). It was verified that heparin, in doses of 3 and 6 IU, was not effective in neutralizing the desfibrinating and edema-forming activities of B. atrox venom and the hemorrhagic and coagulant actions of both venoms. Heparin diminished the effectiveness of the ABS in the neutralization of the hemorrhagic and edema-forming activities of the B. atrox venom. However, heparin in the 6 IU dose was capable of neutralize the edema-forming of the B. erythromelas and increase the effectiveness of the ABS. Heparin also neutralized the phospholipasic A2 activity of B. atrox (14.3 percent) and B. erythromelas (28.0 percent) venoms. For B. erythromelas venom, the associated treatment, heparin and ABS, was more effective in the neutralization of its lethal activity

Neutralizacion cruzada de veneno de bothrops jararacussu por sueros antiofidicos heterologo / Cross neutralization of bothrops jararacussu venom by heterologous antivenoms

En la Argentina se utilizan tres tipos de sueros antiofídicos frete a la mordedura de crotálidos, el Anticrotálico Monovalente, contra el veneno de Crotalus durissus terrifucus ("víbora de cascabel"), el Botrópico Bivalente y el Botrópico Tetravalente ("Misiones") contra los venenos de las diferentes especies de Bothrops que se encuentran en la Argentina (las diferentes "y"rará")" Además, existe un suero Botrópico-Crotálico (Trivalente) el cual cubriria el mismo espectro que el Bivalente más el Anticrotálico. En este trabajo estudiamos la reactividad inmunoquímica de los sueros antibotrópicos Bivalente y Tetravalente, del Botrópico Crotálico (Trivalente) y del Anticrotálico Monovalente con el veneno de Bothrops jararacussu ("yararacuzú", "tapete dourado"). Además, se estudió la capacidad neutralizante de estos antivenenos sobre la potencia letal, y las actividades hemorrágica, necrotizante, procoagulante y hemolítica indirecta del veneno de B. jararacussu. La potencia neutralizante sobre las actividades biológicas y tóxicas de este veneno por todos los antivenenos utilizados es similar a la obtenida con el suero antibotrópico tetravalente (homólogo). Estos resultados sugieren la posibilidad de emplear sueros antibotrópicos heterólogos en el tratamiento de los accidentes por B. jararacussu.

Hematological changes induced by Bothrops jararaca venom in dogs

The mechanism of consumption coagulopathy observed in cases of human envenomation by Bothrops jararaca is well established. However, this mechanism may vary according to the animal species studied. In order to study both the clinical and laboratory aspcts of bothropic envenomation in dogs, a sublethal defibrinating dose of venom (100 µg/kg) was given intravenously. A coagulopathy similar to that observed in humans - including fibronogen depletion, consumption of factors II, X, V and antithrombin III, and moderate thrombocytopenia -was observed. The presence of circulatin activated platelets was also noted. Neutrophilic leukocytosis, lymphopenia, and monocytosis occurred at different times. Erythrocytic values remained normal in dogs treated with B. jararaca venom compared with those treated with saline alone. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate fell rapidly after venom administration and this fall was correlated logarithmically with fibrinogen concentration. Since the effect of envenomation in dogs is similar to that in humans, it was concluded that the dog can be used as a good animal model for studying human venom-induced coagulopathy

Detection and neutralization of B. jararaca venom in mice

1. Bothrops jararaca venom was detected by ELISA at different times in the skin, muscle, blood, liver, lung, heart, kidney and spleen of mice injected with venom im or id. 2. The results showed that even 10 min after im injection the venom is detected mostly in skin rather than in the muscle of the venom injection site. A small amount of venom was detected in the kidney up to 12 h after im venom injection, and none was detected in tissues of lung, heart, liver or spleen. 3. However, in mice injected id, the venom could be detected in the skin up to 24 h after injection. Local necrosis and haemorrhage could be neutralized by antivenom injected by the id or iv routes only if the antivenom was given a short time after venom injection, even when antivenom is adminsitered in high concentration. 4. In contrast, experiments performed in mice receiving venom id and treated by id or iv routes with antivenom injected at different times after envenoming showed that the effect of venom on blood coagulation could be counteracted by antivenom administered by either route up to 2 h after venom injection 5. We suggest that a feasible amount of antivenom administered id could be given as a first aid measure after a snake bite accident. However, further experimental studies using the id route for antivenom administration are essential to confirm this possibility

Avaliação em camundongo da eficácia do antiveneno administrado no local da inoculação intramuscular do veneno de Crotalus durissus terrificus / Evaluation in mice of the efficacy of antivenins administered at the site of the intramuscular inoculation of the Crotalus durissus terrificus venom

The efficacy of the Crotalus durissus terrificus antivenom administration by intramuscular (im) injection at the same place of the im inoculation, of the C. d. terrificus venom was evaluated in mice. In three experiments two DL50 of the venom were inoculated and the antivenom was administered in three different ways: half of the ED50 by intraperitoneal (ip) administration and half by injection, at the same place, immediately after the venom inoculation and thirty minutes after the im venom inoculation; four fifth of ED50 by ip administration and one fifth by injection, at the same place and thirty minutes after the venom inoculation. The antivenom that was administered by intraperitoneal route provided a higher protection to mice (a lower death rate in a 48 hours period) than when it was administered in parts, by intramuscular injection, at the same place of the venom inoculation (p < 0.05). Therefore, it is concluded that this should not be used in human beings bitten by snakes.

Convulxin does not induce convulsions when injected into the rat dorsal hippocampus

La convulxina, una neurotoxina extraída del veneno de Crotalus durissus terrificus, ejerce un efecto convulsivante cuando se inyecta por vía endovenosa en ratones y gatos. En la búsqueda de nuevos compuestos más efectivos selectivos, diversos estudios se han desarrollado en el campo de las neurotoxinas. En consecuencia, el objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar los efectos comportamentales, electroencefalograficos y neuropatológicos desencadenados por la inyección intrahipocampal de convulxina. En otra secuencia experimental, fue utilizada una mexcla de convulxina y plasma rico en plaquetas, como tentativa de testar la hipótesis de la acción indirecta de la convulxina. Los resultados han demostrado que tanto la convulxina como la mexcla de convulxina y plasma rico en plaquetas fueron incapaces de desencadenar convulsione o de causar lesiones celulares específicas

Determinaçäo da atividade letal do veneno de Crotalus durissus collilineatus (Amaral, 1926) em Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 / Determination of the lethal activity of Crolatus durissus collilineatus (Amara, 1926) venom in Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758

Foi determinada, em termos do DL50, a toxicidade do veneno de Crotalus durissus collilineatus, em camundongos, através da inoculaçäo pelas vias collilineatus, em camundongos, através da inoculaçäo pelas vias intraperitoneal e intravenosa. Verificou-se que a intraperitoneal é a mais sensível a açäo tóxica da referida peçonha