Effects of Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) (scorpiones: buthidae) venom on rats: correlation among acetylcholinesterase activities and electrolytes levels

Abstract

Scorpions can be considered living fossils because they have changed so little during the last 400 million years. They are venomous arthropods of the Arachnida class and regarded as relatives of spiders, ticks and mites. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the toxicity of Androctonus crassicauda (Olivier, 1807) venom and its effects on the acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity and on electrolytes levels in rats. Animals were divided into seven groups of five rats each. Test groups received 250µg/kg of venom solution while control group was treated with 200µl of physiological saline solution (PSS). Blood samples were collected from the animals on the 1st, 2nd 4th, 8th, 12th, and 24th hours after subcutaneous injection of venom. Animals were monitored for 24 hours. Androctonus crassicauda venom significantly reduced AchE activity on the 12th hour when compared with control group. A statistically negative correlation between Na+ and K+ (p<0.05) and a positive correlation between Na+ and CL- (p<0.001) ions levels were observed after the administration of A. crassiccauda venom to rats. We can conclude that the differences in the electrolytes levels are due to acute renal failure, since elimination of toxin occurs primarily via the kidney

In vivo and in vitro effects of scorpion venoms in Turkey: a mini-review

“…In those investigations, cardiac dysfunction, myocardial damage and death were not recorded as secondary symptoms to the major systemic envenomations. However, Ozkan et al (35) observed systemic effects in 17.7% cases of A. crassicauda envenomation.…”

“…There are only a few epidemiological and clinical records of case reports involving Mesobuthus eupeus and Androctonus crassicauda, as well as scorpionism in children in the western and southeastern parts of Turkey (5,(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37). Adiguzel …”

“…Such a high ratio of scorpion sting in extremities is due to the country's socioeconomic structure, which depends on agriculture in rural areas, where people wear sandals or walk barefoot (especially children), put on shoes without pre-shaking them, hand search for scorpions in their homes, lift up stones in a non-controlled manner and move their hands during sleep or rest to get away of scorpions. Stings in the head, neck and other body sites mostly occur at sleep because bed mattresses are not checked and sleeping clothes are put on without checking (5,32,33,35,37).…”

“…The local symptoms most commonly reported included local pain, edema, hyperemia, swelling, burning, numbness and itching, whereas systemic symptoms consisted of dry mouth, thirst, sweating, hypotension, hypertension, cramps, tremor, nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulty, tachycardia, sialorrhea, restlessness, hemolytic-uremic syndrome, cyanosis, cardiac failure and/or acute pulmonary edema, and death (33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(39)(40)(41)(42). In a study carried out in 2005, a total of 24,261 cases of scorpion sting were reported (42).…”

“…Ozkan et al (35) noticed that, in A. crassicauda toxicity cases, the patients had parasympathetic and local failures, which are characterized by pain, hyperemia and edema. Bosnak et al (37) stated that pulmonary edema developed in 9.6% and dyspnea in 23.0% of the victims; the predominant signs of cardiovascular system compromising were tachycardia (36.5%), dyspnea (23.0%), paleness (15.3%), hypertension (7.6%) and hypotension (3.8%), and manifestations of cholinergic stimulation, including excessive sweating (32.6%) and vomiting (3.8%), were seen after scorpion sting in children in southeast Turkey.…”