title: Antitoxin activity of plants used in Mexican traditional medicine against scorpion poisoning.
abstract: Scorpions, especially in urban areas of tropical and subtropical regions, present a common risk of poisoning. In Mexico, scorpion envenomation is considered a public health problem. Despite the frequency of scorpion sting cases, there are to date no uniform criteria for their treatment. In Mexican traditional medicine, different plant species have been widely used as a remedy for treating scorpion poisoning. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of Bouvardia ternifolia, Aristolochia elegans and Vitex mollis extracts on Centruroides limpidus limpidus venom lethality in mice, and to determine their antagonist activity on guinea pig ileum. The hexane and methanol extract from B. ternifolia modified the LD50 of C. limpidus limpidus venom from 0.750 +/- 0.08 to 1.64 +/- 0.19 and 1.16 +/- 0.14 mg/kg, respectively. The extracts of A. elegans produced lower antitoxic activity, while extracts of V. mollis did not show any protection. On in vitro test, addition of B. ternifolia and A. elegans extracts strongly inhibited, in a concentration-dependent manner, the ileum contractions induced by venom. In general, the results demonstrated the effectiveness of these two plant species in modifying the lethality of C. limpidus limpidus venom in mice.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Centro de Investigación Biomèdica del Sur, Argentina 1, 62790 Xochitepec, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Ferrer
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Pérez-Terán
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Román-Ramos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tortoriello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000997:Antivenins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D030022:Aristolochia; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008800:Mexico; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018515:Plant Leaves; D018517:Plant Roots; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D019666:Rubiaceae; D065008:Scorpion Stings / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity; D012605:Scorpions; D020950:Vitex
chemical_list: D000997:Antivenins; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012604:Scorpion Venoms