The lethality in mice of dangerous Australian and other snake venom

Broad, A.J.; Sutherland, Struan K.; Coulter, A.R.

doi:10.1016/0041-0101(79)90245-9

Cited by 184 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The pharmacological study of snake venoms and toxins often involves the use of animals or animal tissues (39). Currently, researchers suggest that cell-based assay to examine venom cytotoxicity is an alternative to animal testing (18,19,(40)(41)(42).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of in vivo toxicity and in vitro cytotoxicity of venom from the Cypriot blunt-nosed viper Macrovipera lebetina lebetina and antivenom production

Nalbantsoy¹,

Karabay-Yavasoglu²,

Sayim³

et al. 2012

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis

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Abstract:The venomous Levantine viper, Macrovipera lebetina lebetina is endemic to Cyprus. The objective of this study was to investigate in vitro cytotoxicity, in vivo lethality, and antivenom production followed by a re-immunization schedule in mice against Macrovipera lebetina lebetina venom. The LD 50 value was estimated as 7.58mg/kg within 24 hours by different venom doses administrated intraperitoneally in mice. Freund's complete and incomplete adjuvants were used for first and second immunization of mice in antivenom production. A cell-based assay was performed to determine the effects of Macrovipera lebetina lebetina venom and antivenom neutralizing potency on L929 cell viability. The snake venom toxicity and cytotoxicity were examined and comparison of results showed good correlation, the LD 50 value was tenfold higher than the IC 50 value. The IC 50 value was 0.62 ± 0.18 µg/mL after 48 hours treatment while the calculated value was 1.62 ± 0.25 µg/mL for the culture media totally refreshed after two hours treatment with venom. The in vitro efficacy of antivenom against Macrovipera lebetina lebetina venom was found to be low. This is the first report that describes the in vivo and in vitro toxic effects of Macrovipera lebetina lebetina venom and antivenom production against this species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of in vivo toxicity and in vitro cytotoxicity of venom from the Cypriot blunt-nosed viper Macrovipera lebetina lebetina and antivenom production

Nalbantsoy¹,

Karabay-Yavasoglu²,

Sayim³

et al. 2012

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis

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“…31,32 However, these survival statistics were only estimated for those animals that underwent antivenom treatment and therefore do not account for dogs that died before presentation to veterinary clinics, or before treatment was able to be administered. The number of animals that were excluded from estimation in this manner may be significant for those dogs envenomed by snake species with a high toxicity index such as the Brown and Tiger snake species.…”

Section: Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snake envenomation in dogs in New South Wales

et al. 2005

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Objective To obtain baseline data on the prevalence of elapid snake envenomation in dogs presented to veterinary practices in New South Wales and to assess attitudes of veterinarians to this clinical entity. Procedure A mailed questionnaire, sent to all veterinary clinics within New South Wales, was utilised to collect epidemiological information regarding elapid snake envenomation in dogs. Results A response rate of 68% was obtained and a yearly prevalence of snake envenomation in dogs across New South Wales veterinary clinics was estimated as 0.31%. The most common species reported to be responsible for envenomation within NSW was the Red Bellied Black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) followed by the Brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) and then Tiger snake (Notechis scutatus). The reported envenomation syndromes caused by these common snake species were perceived to be similar for Brown and Tiger snakes but differed for Red Bellied Black snakes. Diagnosis of snake envenomation was based predominantly on the recognition of clinical signs. Specific diagnostic tests, such as venom detection kits, were used infrequently. The most common treatment was reported to be a combination of intravenous fluid therapy and antivenom, and monitoring of response to this treatment was usually through assessment of clinical signs. Survival after antivenom administration was reported to be highest for Red Bellied Black snake species. Survival was perceived to be associated with time between envenomation and presentation to the veterinary clinic and with antivenom administration. Conclusions Current attitudes and perceptions of veterinarians have been defined. Diagnosis of species‐specific snake envenomation is shown to be made on the basis of clinical signs which are, however, reported as similar for each species. Clearer definition of these envenomation syndromes and identification of accessible diagnostic testing procedures are needed.

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“…However, only the ␣ subunit displayed in vitro neurotoxic activity of its own. Thus, cannitoxin is similar in structure and pharmacology to taipoxin, which has been isolated from the closely related Australian species O. scutellatus scutellatus (coastal taipan).Three species of taipans (genus Oxyuranus) have been identified and are considered to be the world's most venomous snakes (Sutherland and Tibballs, 2001 (Broad et al, 1979). However, t 90 (i.e., time to produce 90% inhibition of indirect twitches) data obtained in the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle (CBCNM) preparation indicated that O. scutellatus scutellatus venom is more neurotoxic than that of O. scutellatus canni venom (Crachi et al, 1999b).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These are the Australian coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus), inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), and Papuan taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni) that are found throughout the northern coastal region of Australia (Worrell, 1970), central Australia (Sutherland and Tibballs, 2001), and in the lowlying and mountainous terrain of Papua New Guinea (O'Shea, 1996), respectively. The rank order of potency of the venoms based on murine LD 50 (s.c.) data is as follows: O. microlepidotus (0.025 mg/kg) (Broad et al, 1979) Ͼ O. scutellatus canni (0.0505 mg/kg) (Sutherland and Tibballs, 2001) Ͼ Oxyuranus scutellatus scutellatus (0.099 mg/kg) (Broad et al, 1979). However, t 90 (i.e., time to produce 90% inhibition of indirect twitches) data obtained in the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle (CBCNM) preparation indicated that O. scutellatus scutellatus venom is more neurotoxic than that of O. scutellatus canni venom (Crachi et al, 1999b).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and Pharmacological Characterization of Cannitoxin, a Presynaptic Neurotoxin from the Venom of the Papuan Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni)

Kuruppu

Reeve²,

Banerjee³

et al. 2005

J Pharmacol Exp Ther

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The Papuan taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni) is widely distributed throughout much of Papua New Guinea. Although neurotoxicity is a major symptom of envenomation, no neurotoxins have been isolated from this venom. Using a series of size exclusion chromatography steps, we report the isolation of cannitoxin, a presynaptic neurotoxin (44,848 Da) that represents approximately 16% of the whole venom. The toxin displayed high phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) activity (330 Ϯ 5 mol/ min/mg) and caused concentration-dependent (11-66 nM) inhibition of indirect (0.2 ms; 0.1 Hz; supramaximal V) twitches of the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle preparation without effecting nicotinic receptor agonists. Prior addition of CSL Taipan antivenom (5 U/ml) or inhibition of phospholipase A 2 activity by incubation with 4-bromophenacyl bromide prevented the inhibition of twitches. Cannitoxin is composed of three different subunits, ␣, ␤, and ␥, with the possibility of two ␤ isomers. However, only the ␣ subunit displayed in vitro neurotoxic activity of its own. Thus, cannitoxin is similar in structure and pharmacology to taipoxin, which has been isolated from the closely related Australian species O. scutellatus scutellatus (coastal taipan).Three species of taipans (genus Oxyuranus) have been identified and are considered to be the world's most venomous snakes (Sutherland and Tibballs, 2001 (Broad et al., 1979). However, t 90 (i.e., time to produce 90% inhibition of indirect twitches) data obtained in the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle (CBCNM) preparation indicated that O. scutellatus scutellatus venom is more neurotoxic than that of O. scutellatus canni venom (Crachi et al., 1999b). They also showed that CSL Taipan antivenom (CTPV) was markedly more effective in neutralizing the neurotoxic effects of the Papuan or coastal taipan venoms than that of the inland taipan (Crachi et al., 1999b).Presynaptic neurotoxins act at the motor nerve terminal to either facilitate (e.g., dendrotoxin) or inhibit (e.g., ␤-bungarotoxin, taipoxin, and paradoxin) the release of neurotransmitter. All of the presynaptic inhibitors have phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) activity (Harris, 1991). Taipoxin and paradoxin were isolated from the venoms of O. scutellatus scutellatus (Fohlman et al., 1976) and O. microlepidotus, respectively. Taipoxin is a ternary complex of three subunits, ␣-, ␤-, and ␥-taipoxin, that exists in a stoichiometry of 1:1:1 held together by noncovalent interactions. The ␣ subunit is the only subunit with toxic activity on its own. The ␤ subunit is neutral and exists in two isoforms (i.e., ␤ 1 and ␤ 2 ), which are interchangeable in the complex. The ␥ subunit is the largest of the three subunits, and it seems to be glycosylated (FohlArticle, publication date, and citation information can be found at

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The lethality in mice of dangerous Australian and other snake venom

Cited by 184 publications

References 9 publications

Determination of in vivo toxicity and in vitro cytotoxicity of venom from the Cypriot blunt-nosed viper Macrovipera lebetina lebetina and antivenom production

Determination of in vivo toxicity and in vitro cytotoxicity of venom from the Cypriot blunt-nosed viper Macrovipera lebetina lebetina and antivenom production

Snake envenomation in dogs in New South Wales

Isolation and Pharmacological Characterization of Cannitoxin, a Presynaptic Neurotoxin from the Venom of the Papuan Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni)

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