Chemistry, Specificity and Action of Arthropod Toxic Proteins Derived from Scorpion Venoms

Zlotkin, Eliahu; Rathmayer, W.; Lissitzky, Serge

doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-8834-4_19

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“… 1 [ 33 ]; 2 [ 24 ]; 3 [ 34 ]; 4 [ 35 ]; 5 [ 36 ]; 6 [ 37 ]; 7 [ 38 ]; 8 [ 39 ]; 9 [ 40 ]; 10 [ 41 ]; 11 [ 42 ]. Values with an asterisk indicate values from closely related species.…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Target-Specificity in Scorpions; Comparing Lethality of Scorpion Venoms across Arthropods and Vertebrates

Meijden¹,

Koch

Valk

et al. 2017

Toxins

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Scorpions use their venom in defensive situations as well as for subduing prey. Since some species of scorpion use their venom more in defensive situations than others, this may have led to selection for differences in effectiveness in defensive situations. Here, we compared the LD50 of the venom of 10 species of scorpions on five different species of target organisms; two insects and three vertebrates. We found little correlation between the target species in the efficacy of the different scorpion venoms. Only the two insects showed a positive correlation, indicating that they responded similarly to the panel of scorpion venoms. We discuss the lack of positive correlation between the vertebrate target species in the light of their evolution and development. When comparing the responses of the target systems to individual scorpion venoms pairwise, we found that closely related scorpion species tend to elicit a similar response pattern across the target species. This was further reflected in a significant phylogenetic signal across the scorpion phylogeny for the LD50 in mice and in zebrafish. We also provide the first mouse LD50 value for Grosphus grandidieri.

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“… 1 [ 33 ]; 2 [ 24 ]; 3 [ 34 ]; 4 [ 35 ]; 5 [ 36 ]; 6 [ 37 ]; 7 [ 38 ]; 8 [ 39 ]; 9 [ 40 ]; 10 [ 41 ]; 11 [ 42 ]. Values with an asterisk indicate values from closely related species.…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

Target-Specificity in Scorpions; Comparing Lethality of Scorpion Venoms across Arthropods and Vertebrates

Meijden¹,

Koch

Valk

et al. 2017

Toxins

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“…On the other hand, the a-toxins were shown to affect both insect and mammal VGSCs and can be distinguished according to their relative toxicity. A moderate toxicity to arthropods by typical mammal atoxins such as AaH I and AaH II was revealed as early as the 70s by the aid of toxicity and electrophysiological studies (Ruhland et al, 1977;Zlotkin et al, 1978). Thus, a-toxins such as AaH II, LqqIV, BotIII, AaHI and AaHII prefer mammal VGSCs Pelhate and Zlotkin, 1982;Couraud and Jover, 1984;Martin-Eauclaire and Couraud, 1995;Cestele et al, 1997a, b) and a-toxins such as LqhaIT, LqqIII and BotIV preferably affect insects (Eitan et al, 1990;Kopeyan et al, 1990Kopeyan et al, , 1993Cestele et al, 1997a, b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

BjαIT: a novel scorpion α-toxin selective for insects—unique pharmacological tool

Arnon

Potikha

Sher

et al. 2005

Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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“…Regarding the composition of neurotoxic scorpion venom in proteins of low molecular wight and poor antigenic properties [26,27], the use of adjuvants is recommended in the production of antivenoms. Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA) and Freund's Incomplete Adjuvant (FIA), which were adopted in the present study, are widely known for their efficacy in amplifying the immune response [17].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Efficacy of the Antivenom Specific to Severe Envenomations in Morocco and North Africa: Advancements in Scorpion Envenomation Management

Darkaoui,

Hilal,

Khourcha

et al. 2024

Toxins

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Scorpion envenomation poses a global public health issue, with an estimated 1,500,000 cases worldwide annually resulting in 2600 deaths. North Africa, particularly Morocco, experiences severe envenomations, mainly attributed to Androctonus mauretanicus and Buthus occitanus in Morocco, and Buthus occitanus and Androctonus australis hector in Algeria and Tunisia, with case numbers often underestimated. Current treatment relies mainly on symptomatic approaches, except in Morocco, where management is limited to symptomatic treatment due to controversies regarding specific treatment. In Morocco, between 30,000 and 50,000 scorpion envenomation cases are reported annually, leading to hundreds of deaths, mainly among children. Controversies among clinicians persist regarding the appropriate course of action, often limiting treatments to symptomatic measures. The absence of a specific antivenom for the venoms of the most lethal scorpions further exacerbates the situation. This study aims to address this gap by developing a monovalent antivenom against the endemic and most dangerous scorpion, Androctonus mauretanicus. The antivenom was produced by immunizing albino rabbits with a mixture of Androctonus mauretanicus venom collected from high-risk areas in Morocco. Immunizations were performed by subcutaneous injections at multiple sites near the lymphatic system, following an immunization schedule. Production control of neutralizing antibody titers was conducted through immunodiffusion. Once a sufficient antibody titer was achieved, blood collection was performed, and the recovered plasma underwent affinity chromatography. The efficacy of purified IgG was evaluated by determining the ED50 in mice, complemented by histological and immunohistochemical studies on its ability to neutralize venom-induced tissue alterations and the neutralization of toxins bound to receptors in the studied organs. The monovalent antivenom demonstrated specificity against Androctonus mauretanicus venom and effective cross-protection against the venom of the scorpions Buthus occitanus and Androctonus australis hector, highly implicated in lethal envenomations in the Maghreb. This study shows that the developed monovalent antivenom exhibits notable efficacy against local scorpions and a surprising ability to neutralize the most lethal envenomations in North Africa. These results pave the way for a new, more specific, and promising therapeutic approach to countering severe scorpion envenomations, especially in Morocco, where specific treatment is lacking.

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Chemistry, Specificity and Action of Arthropod Toxic Proteins Derived from Scorpion Venoms

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Target-Specificity in Scorpions; Comparing Lethality of Scorpion Venoms across Arthropods and Vertebrates

Target-Specificity in Scorpions; Comparing Lethality of Scorpion Venoms across Arthropods and Vertebrates

BjαIT: a novel scorpion α-toxin selective for insects—unique pharmacological tool

Development and Efficacy of the Antivenom Specific to Severe Envenomations in Morocco and North Africa: Advancements in Scorpion Envenomation Management

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