Study of the relationship between Androctonus crassicauda (Oliver, 1807; scorpiones, buthidae) venom toxicity and telson size, weight and storing condition

Abstract

Scorpions are included in the order Scorpiones; class Arachnida. Lethal scorpions are mostly of the Buthidae family. Among these, species belonging to Androctonus, Leiurus and Mesobuthus genera cause most scorpion envenomations in Turkey. This study was performed aiming the production of antivenom by using Androctonus crassicauda telsons. Venom toxicity is related to telson weight, size, and storing condition (open or closed). Telsons of A. crassicauda were collected in Southeastern Anatolia (especially in Harran town, Sanliurfa), Turkey. They were separated according to weight, size, and storing condition -open (a) and closed (b). Venom solution was prepared by maceration of telsons. Swiss albino mice were used to determine the lethal dose 50% (LD 50 ), which was as follows: Group 1a 2.31mg; Group 1b 2.66mg; Group 2a 2.32mg; Group 2b 2.66mg; Group 3a 6.66mg; Group 3b 6.88mg. Among the groups of telsons, the first and the second groups showed different characteristics. However, there were no differences between their toxicity. In the third group, a fourfold amount of telsons was used for toxicity. In other words, telsons weighting from 19.99 to 20mg (first group) and from 29.99 to 30mg (second group) presented similar LD 50 values, and telsons weighting from 10 to 19.99mg (third group) showed a fourfold higher LD 50 value. This difference was caused by the maturity of scorpions and venom toxicity was related to their size. The first and second groups were considered to be mature and the third group, not adult. Therefore, we can conclude that obtaining open telsons due to environmental factors was not effective for venom toxicity.

Comparison of proteins, lethality and immunogenic compounds of Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) venom obtained by different methods

“…Scorpions are terrestrial arachnids that are easily recognized by their characteristic elongated body and segmented tail ending in a bulbous sac and in a stinger (telson); there are approximately 1,500 scorpion species worldwide (4,19,24,26). Scorpion venom, which has lethal and paralytic effects, is a secretion composed of water, salts and simple, low-molecular-weight proteins (5,10,23). It is a unique defense and feeding weapon.…”

“…Hence, representatives of 21 laboratories around the world, both public and private, have presented the methodologies used for producing antivenom (30). It is clear that availability of effective antivenom constitutes the cornerstone of envenomation treatment and requires the use of scorpion venom, which can be obtained by different methods such as manual extraction, electric stimulation and maceration (4,17,23,24,30). In Turkey, scorpion venom has been obtained by maceration of telsons since 1942 at Refik Saydam Hygiene Center (RSHC), Ankara, Turkey (20).…”

Determination of median effective dose (ED50) of scorpion antivenom against scorpion envenomation using a newly developed formula

“…The antivenom for A. crassicauda venom, with an LD 50 (15.45 μg/kg) in mice, neutralized Mesobuthus gibosus venom (LD 50 20 μg/kg) in the Aegean region of Turkey . Thus, highly potent antivenom could be produced from about 238 telsons in 51 days …”

Effects of Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) venom on rat metabolism

“…Hazardous scorpions all belong to the Buthidae family (33,46,48). Scorpion venoms are composed of different concentrations of neurotoxins, cardiotoxins, nephrotoxins, phosphodiesterases, hyaluronidases, glycosaminoglycans, histamines, serotonins, tryptophans, and cytokine releasers (11,25).…”