title: An in vitro comparative study upon the toxic properties of the venoms from Hemiscorpius lepturus, Androctonus crassicauda and Mesobuthus eupeus scorpions.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to compare the toxic effects of the venoms from Hemiscorpius lepturus (H. lepturus), Androctonus crassicauda (A. crassicauda) and Mesobuthus eupeus (M. eupeus). For this purpose, three in vitro models were employed to compare the toxic effects of various concentrations of the venoms from these three scorpions, namely: hemolytic potential using human RBCs, phospholipase activity using Saubouraud's dextrose agar (SDA) supplemented with 2% egg yolk and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme releasing effect using K562 leukemia cell line. In addition, the neutralizing effectiveness of the antivenom against these toxic properties was assessed. The results showed that, unlike the venoms from A. crassicauda and M. eupeus, the venom from H. lepturus produced dose-dependent lysis of human RBCs and showed phospholipase activity. However, all the tested venoms showed variable degrees of LDH releasing properties. The venom from H. lepturus had highest and the venom from M. eupeus had the lowest LDH releasing effect. The antivenom effectively inhibited all the tested toxicities. In conclusion, these results suggest that the venoms from the studied scorpions have variable toxic properties, which may explain the underlying reason for the differences in their clinical manifestations. In addition, the antivenom was effective in neutralizing all the tested toxic effects.
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cellular Research Centre, Department of Immunology, Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khodadadi
authors.forename: Mohammad Hassan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pipelzadeh
authors.forename: Babak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vazirianzadeh
authors.forename: Mahsa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pipelzadeh
authors.forename: Mossa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharifat
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000997:Antivenins / Q000494:pharmacology; D060829:Arthropod Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D053878:Hemolytic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D020014:K562 Cells; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010740:Phospholipases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000201:enzymology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012605:Scorpions / Q000378:metabolism*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000997:Antivenins; D060829:Arthropod Proteins; D053878:Hemolytic Agents; D012604:Scorpion Venoms; D010740:Phospholipases