The impact of neurological disorders in society is growing with alarming estimations for an incidence increase in the next decades. These disorders are generally chronic and can affect individuals early during productive life, imposing real limitations on the performance of their social roles. Patients can have their independence, autonomy, freedom, self-image, and self-confidence affected. In spite of their availability, drugs for the treatment of these disorders are commonly associated with side effects, which can vary in frequency and severity. Currently, no effective cure is known. Nowadays, the biopharmaceutical research community widely recognizes arthropod venoms as a rich source of bioactive compounds, providing a plethora of possibilities for the discovery of new neuroactive compounds, opening up novel and attractive opportunities in this field. Several identified molecules with a neuropharmacological profile can act in the central nervous system on different neuronal targets, rendering them useful tools for the study of neurological disorders. In this context, this review aims to describe the current main compounds extracted from arthropod venoms for the treatment of five major existing neurological disorders: stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and pathological anxiety.

The venom of social wasps has been poorly studied so far, despite the high number of accidents in humans and assessment of the use of these wasps as a biological control of pests. The study of the pharmacological effects of the venom is of great importance since the poisoning is dangerous causing serious systemic effects, including death in the case of multiple attacks. In this study, the pharmacological activities of venom from the social wasp Synoeca cyanea were evaluated by the following assays: LD50 in mice, the behavioural effects and the hemorrhagic activity induced by the venom in mice, the oedematogenic activity in rat, the haemolysis in human blood, the stimulating effect on guinea-pig smooth muscle, and the antimicrobial activity. The aim was to determine the toxic effects of venom and to perform a comparative study with earlier work conducted with venom from other wasp species. Results showed that S. cyanea venom produced a potent dose-dependent oedema, as well as antibacterial and haemolytic activities, suggesting the presence of histamine, serotonin, kinins and other molecules related to increased vascular permeability and cytolytic activity in this venom. Despite previous studies with wasp venoms, S. cyanea venom presented a slight hemorrhagic effect. Data obtained in the smooth muscle assay also suggest the presence of BK or analogues in S. cyanea whole venom. The knowledge of symptoms and effects produced by S. cyanea venom is critical for health organizations, in order to improve clinical treatment in accidents caused by wasp stings.

Background:Arthropod venoms have attracted interest because they represent a source of neuroactive compounds that can be useful tools in neuroscience and pharmacological investigations.Objective:The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, and behavioral effects of the peptide fraction separated from venom of the social wasp.Materials and Methods:The low- molecular-weight compounds of the venom were separated by ultrafiltration and the bioassays were performed to test anticonvulsant and anxiolytic effects, as well as alterations in the spontaneous behavior of the animals.Results:Intracerebroventricular injections of the compounds induced dose-dependent anticonvulsant effects and a potent anxiolytic activity. Regarding behavioral effects, no significant differences were observed in relation to the saline control group.Conclusion:The low-molecular-weight compounds of the venom of Polybia paulista include neuroactive peptides that can be used as pharmacological resources for anticonvulsant and anxiolytic drug research.

No abstract

No abstract

β‐Lactam antibiotics such as ceftriaxone, are potent stimulators of the expression of l‐glutamate transporter GLT‐1 and may exert neuroprotective effects when chronically used in rats and mice. In this study, we used two animal models to test the neurological effect of subchronic treatment with ceftriaxone: experimental acute glaucoma in Wistar rats and induction of acute seizures with pentylenetetrazole in mice. We also assessed the performance of mice in the rotarod to calculate therapeutic indexes and exploratory activity in the open field. Our results showed that subchronic use of ceftriaxone was neuroprotective in both models, reducing injury in acute ischemia and ischemia/reperfusion in specific layers of retina and leading to a decrease in the seizure severity score. In behavioral experiments, we observed that ceftriaxone increased hyperactivity followed by a decrease in exploratory behavior in the open field, and there was no motor impairment in the rotarod test. We conclude that ceftriaxone may be useful as a tool in the development of new neuroprotective drugs targeting diseases which present a possible dysfunction in the balance of glutamatergic neurotransmission.

The ability of venom-derived peptides to disrupt physiological processes in mammals provides an exciting source for pharmacological development. Our research group has identified a new class of neuroactive peptides from the venom of a Brazilian social wasp, Polybia occidentalis, with the potential pharmacological profile to treat epilepsies. The study was divided into five phases: Phase 1 concerned the extraction, isolation, and purification of Occidentalin-1202(n) from the crude venom, followed by synthesis of an identical analog peptide, named Occidentalin-1202(s). In phase 2, we described the effects of both peptides in two acute models of epilepsy – Kainic acid and pentylenetetrazole-induced model of seizures – and measured estimated ED50 and therapeutic index (TI) values, electroencephalographic studies, and C-fos evaluation. Phase 3 was a compilation of advanced tests performed with Occidentalin-1202(s) only, reporting histopathological features and its performance in the pilocarpine-induced Status epilepticus (SE). After determination of antiepileptic activity of Occidentalin-1202(s), phase 4 consisted of evaluating its potential adverse effects, after chronic administration, on motor coordination (Rotarod) and cognitive impairment (Morris water maze) tests. Finally, in phase 5, we proposed a mechanism of action using computational models with kainate receptors. The new peptide was able to across de blood brain barrier and showed potent antiseizure effects in acute (kainic acid and pentylenetetrazole) and chronic (Temporal Lobe Epilepsy model induced by pilocarpine) models. Motor and cognitive behavior were not adversely affected, and a potential neuroprotective effect was observed. Occidentalin-1202 can be a potent blocker of kainate receptor, as assessed by computational analysis, preventing glutamate and kainic acid from binding to the receptor's active site. Occidentalin-1202 is a peptide with promising applicability to treat epilepsy and can be considered an interesting drug model for the development of new medicines.

A púrpura trombocitopênica trombótica (PTT) é uma doença rara e fatal que deve ser diagnosticada e tratada rapidamente, para que a melhor resposta terapêutica seja obtida. AbstractThrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare severe disease that must be diagnosed and treated quickly so that the best therapeutic response is obtained. Recent studies indicate that the prognosys is influenced favorably by plasmaferesis, which reduces the mortality from 90 to 20%. In the first case, after eight plasmaferisis sections, there was improvement in the clinical condition .In the second case, at the fourth day, after the beginning of the treatment, the patient evolved to a neurological presentation (cerebral vascular accident), and reaching death. If not treated, the TTP is usually fatal; with treatment, more than half survive. Although it can occur as a single isolated episode, the individuals that show this disorder must be monitored with blood and physical tests during several years because sudden relapses aren't unusual and require treatment.