Some biological effects of scorpion envenomation in late pregnant rats.
Scorpion envenoming is less studied during gestation; however, it may induce various biological disturbances in maternal organism and hypothetical ones on their fetuses. The scope of this report was to elucidate some biological effects of such poisoning in late pregnant rats. Hence, TBARS levels in maternal lung, placental and fetal pulmonary and hepatic tissues and dam's biochemical blood parameters (glucose, creatinine, 17-beta estradiol, progesterone, blood nitrogen urea, sodium and potassium maternal plasma concentrations) had been evaluated after saline (G1), and scorpion venom (G2: 30 min and G3: 60 min) injections in 22nd day pregnant rats. Histological microscopic examination of these tissues was also carried out in HE-stained paraffin sections. In addition, the mean arterial blood pressure following the envenomation variations was measured in three rats from the same pool. Our results showed that Buthus occitanus tunetanus crude venom induced significant increase in maternal, placental and fetal tissues lipid peroxidation, concomitant with blood pressure elevation. Maternal plasma creatinine, estradiol and progesterone concentrations levelled up significantly after 30 min or later (60 min) after the venom injection. Except for a probable pronounced oedema and few congestions in maternal lungs and degenerative aspects of trophoblast cells, all examined tissues showed a conserved structure. These results suggest that scorpion envenomation may induce gestation process disturbances and threatens both mother's and fetus' well-being.
Ben Nasr
Hmed
H
Laboratory of Pharmacology, University of Sfax, School of Medicine of Sfax, 3029 Sfax, Tunisia. HmedBNasr@gmail.com
Serria
Hammami
H
Chaker
Selma
S
Riadh
Badraoui
B
Zouheir
Sahnoun
S
Kamel
Jamoussi
J
Tarek
Rebai
R
Khaled
Zeghal
Z
D000818:Animals; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000506:poisoning*; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000032:analysis
D012604:Scorpion Venoms; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol