title: Analysis of the toxic potential of venom from Loxosceles adelaida, a Brazilian brown spider from karstic areas.
abstract: Loxosceles adelaida spiders (Araneae, Sicariidae) are found near and inside the caves in the Parque Estadual Turistico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR), Sao Paulo, Brazil, which are visited by thousands of tourists every year. Several Loxosceles species are a public health problem in many regions of the world, by causing severe dermonecrosis and/or complement dependent haemolysis upon envenomation. The aim of this study was to characterize the biochemical and biological properties of L. adelaida venom and evaluate the toxic potential of envenomation by this non-synanthropic Loxosceles species. The biological activities of the L. adelaida venom was compared to that of Loxosceles gaucho, a synanthropic species of medical importance in Brazil. L. adelaida venom showed a similar potential to induce haemolysis, dermonecrosis and lethality as L. gaucho venom. L. adelaida crude venom was purified, yielding a 31 kDa component endowed with haemolytic and dermonecrotic activities. In conclusion, we show here that the troglophile Loxosceles species, L. adelaida, commonly found in the complex of caves from PETAR, is potentially able to cause envenomation with the same gravity of those produced by synanthropic species.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunoquímica, Instituto Butantan, Av. Prof. Brazil, 1500, CEP 05503-900 São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pretel
authors.forename: Rute M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gonçalves-de-Andrade
authors.forename: Fabio Carlos
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Magnoli
authors.forename: Maria Esther R
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Jorge M C
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Carmen W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.forename: Denise V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Tambourgi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001938:Brazil; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D051379:Mice; D009336:Necrosis / Q000139:chemically induced; D011817:Rabbits; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity*; D013111:Spider Venoms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000201:enzymology; D013112:Spiders / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D013111:Spider Venoms; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase