Comparison between two methods of scorpion venom milking in Morocco

Abstract

BackgroundThe present study compared two methods used successfully in a large-scale program for the collection of scorpion venoms, namely the milking of adult scorpions via manual and electrical stimulation.ResultsOur immunobiochemical characterizations clearly demonstrate that regularly applied electrical stimulation obtains scorpion venom more easily and, most importantly, in greater quantity. Qualitatively, the electrically collected venom showed lack of hemolymph contaminants such as hemocyanin. In contrast, manual obtainment of venom subjects scorpions to maximal trauma, leading to hemocyanin secretion. Our study highlighted the importance of reducing scorpion trauma during venom milking.ConclusionsIn conclusion, to produce high quality antivenom with specific antibodies, it is necessary to collect venom by the gentler electrical stimulation method.

Purificación parcial de péptidos y actividad citotóxica del veneno T. macrochirus

“…El método de extracción utilizado demostró ser más eficiente que los métodos manuales usados preliminarmente, ya que permitió obtener mayor cantidad de veneno, disminuir el tiempo de manipulación del animal, realizar las extracciones de veneno varias veces en cada individuo y disminuir la posibilidad de contaminación de la muestra obtenida (25). Asimismo, con este método se obtuvo un veneno con un perfil electroforético bien definido (figura 6) y similar a lo reportado para otras especies de escorpiones (1,2,25,29,33).…”

“…El veneno se obtuvo por estimulación eléctrica con 10 a 20 voltios en la parte dorsal y en la glán-dula productora de veneno de los escorpiones (25) (figura 3). La muestra de veneno se recolectó en tubos Eppendorf, se diluyó con agua desionizada y se almacenó a -20 °C (figura 4).…”

Scorpion Venom–Toxins that Aid in Drug Development: A Review

“…Scorpion toxins are classified according to (a) the ion channels exhibiting pharmacological activity, (b) their threedimensional structure (c) the respective receptors they bind to and (d) the action delivered upon the receptors (Gomes et al 2010;Petricevich et al 2013). Genus and species of a scorpion, its age, physiology, feeding state and region it inhabits are the factors governing venom toxicity (Oukkache et al 2013). Adopting the fruitful extraction procedure to collect high-quality venom is very crucial (Oukkache et al 2013).…”

Venom regeneration in the centipede Scolopendra polymorpha: evidence for asynchronous venom component synthesis

“…While not all venom proteins are toxins (Chavez-Olortegui et al, 1997;Kuhn-Nentwig et al, 2011), and not all centipede venom toxins are proteins (Undheim and King, 2011), venom toxicity may be correlated with protein content (Perret, 1977;Boeve et al, 1995;Mirtschin et al, 2002;Oukkache et al, 2013), but this is not always the case (Malli et al, 1993). Thus, further testing would be necessary to better understand how toxicity changes during venom regeneration.…”

“…Thus, further testing would be necessary to better understand how toxicity changes during venom regeneration. Even so, protein content of venom can vary with extraction method (Mackessy, 2002;Brochetto-Braga et al, 2006;Oukkache et al, 2013), and venom elicited by electrical milking cannot be assumed to be identical in composition to that used during natural prey capture or defense (Kristensen, 2005).…”