Envenomation by Loxosceles
spider can result in two clinical manifestations cutaneous and systemic loxoscelism, the latter of which includes
renal failure. Although
incidence of
renal failure is low, it is the main
cause of death, occurring mainly in
children. The
sphingomyelinase D (SMase D) is the main component in Loxosceles
spider venom responsible for local and systemic manifestations. This study aimed to investigate the
toxicity of L. intermedia
venom and SMase D on
kidney cells, using both
In vitro and in vivo models, and the possible involvement of endogenous
metalloproteinases (
MMP). Results demonstrated that
venom and SMase D are able to cause
death of
human kidney cells by
apoptosis, concomitant with activation and
secretion of
extracellular matrix metalloproteases,
MMP-2 and
MMP-9. Furthermore,
cell death and
MMP synthesis and
secretion can be prevented by
tetracycline. In a
mouse model of systemic loxoscelism, Loxosceles
venom-induced
kidney failure was observed, which was abrogated by
administration of
tetracycline. These results indicate that
MMPs may
play an important
role in Loxosceles
venom-induced
kidney injury and that
tetracycline administration may be useful in the
treatment of
human systemic loxoscelism.