Renal Lysosomal Functions on Exposure toScatophagus argusVenom in Experimental Mice

Abstract

Scatophagus argus venom was extracted by homogenization and centrifugation. The lysosome-enriched fraction of mice kidney was isolated by differential centrifugation. To study the effect of S. argus venom on lysosomal membrane stability, acid phosphatase and cathepsin D, the two marker enzymes for lysosome, were assayed. In the renal lysosomal enriched fraction incubated with different concentrations of venom and at various time intervals, in vivo and in vitro studies were done. Studies reveal that with increasing concentration of venom and time, the activity of the enzymes increased, which showed that the membrane integrities decreased for both in vitro and in vivo studies. The activity of the enzymes acid phosphatase and cathepsin D showed a dose-dependent relationship with S. argus venom.

Bioactive Components in Fish Venoms

“…Immediately after venom injection, neuropathic pain is observed, but the pain seems to lessen during the subsequent inflammatory period, indicating that the second phase of pain involved the inflammatory processes of leukocyte rolling and adhesion [ 96 , 98 ]. Similar studies have confirmed that venom from several different fish species causes severe pain in mouse models [ 50 , 87 , 110 , 111 ]. A single pain-causing protein fraction was isolated from N. robusta venom, and attributed as the major source of nociceptive action for the crude venom, but its mechanism of action remains unknown [ 52 ].…”

“…Additionally, edema of the heart and brain parenchyma was found, along with cloudy swelling and hemorrhaging in the renal tubules [ 102 ]. S. argus venom was also found to cause cloudy swelling in renal tubules following intraperitoneal injection in mice [ 111 ]. Additionally, S. argus venom produced hemorrhage in the stomachs of mice that rabbit antiserum could not attenuate pointing to the non-proteinaceous nature of the responsible component [ 117 ].…”